Teaching Math or Special Education?

Question

I have been teaching in Middle School Special Education classes for 6 years and love it. I also have a math certification on my license. What are some advantages of teaching math over Special Education? Plus any other tips on teaching math you can give me.

Answer 1

Advantages of math over special ed:
---- NO IEP's
--- less diversity in planning your day (ie.. meeting all the different IEP goals vs. meeting GLE's.
--- The kids generally get the concepts quicker
--- generally higher success rate. (progress is quicker)
--- everyone working on the same thing at the same time.

disadvantages
--- class sizes
--- not getting to know all your students on an individual level
--- more parents to deal with
-- not as much satisfaction when a "normal" child succeeds.
__ can't blame failure on a disability.
---eccentricity is expected of special ed. teachers, not always appreciated by regular ed teacher. (hehehe)

a few tips for a regular ed. math class....
students generally don't like math, try to play a math game for 1/2 period on Fridays, (quiz the other half)
try to keep things "real" why is algebra important.. give examples of how you use it in real life.
Try to do a lot of hands on activities. Get them in the hallways measuring, problem solving.

A really fun activity to do at the end of the year. (and helpful when planning for next year) Break the kids into groups, hand them a School Specialty catalog, and tell them they have a certain amount of money ($250) to spend on their classroom. What do they want... justify expensive items (or items over $45.00) Have them figure shopping and handling afterwards.. and present their "wish list" to the class. My special needs love this activity and every year we vote on the best "expensive" item and I try to convince my principal we "NEED' it.!!
Many studnets see math as a place where they aren't successful, so drop in a lot of humor in the lectures and find ways for each student to find a little success everyday. (gee, just like in a special needs classroom!!

Good luck with your decision. I wish you luck getting out of a special education classroom. In my district once you've proven yourself successful you never escape. (Job security)

Answer 2

This is what is happening in Texas, and I suppose it occurs elsewhere, too. Supporting Spec. Ed is very costly, so many districts are doing away with the program and are mainstreaming those kids. The teachers who were previously SE teachers become assistants to the mainstream teacher.... and that is usually a reading or math teacher. Math, on the other hand, is tested in all states. Math teachers will always be needed. But, as you probably know, there will be great pressure to get good scores from your kids. For most students, math is their hardest subject, so that would be a challenge. Also, Big business often lures math teachers away with offers of bigger salaries and benefits. You are happy where you are now, so enjoy the ride. You are very fortunate and wise to have that math certification tucked away as well.

Answer 3

Both are sought after specialties with districts across the country and abroad, if you're interested. You should probably consider which you might enjoy more...it sounds as if you would like to try your hand at teaching Math. Why not give it a year before you settle on either? Good luck.

Answer 4

With special ed it is hard to relate to students on lots of levels. The level you do relate on can be rewarding and, sometimes, you can get good results.

In the 'normal' ed stream you can relate to students on more levels and your results are more varied. Some students appreciate the help you give them, however some don't. When you have students who value educationn and, thus, work hard it is very rewarding.

Another 'however' is that some students take the attitude that "your my teacher and your paid to help me so if I do bad it's your fault and if I do good it is my hard work - no thanks to you".

Both are good choices. Is it possible to do both, ie some SE classes and some maths classes. You may get the best of both worlds.

Answer 5

Hey
Maybe your salary will be higher but teaching math is big. You have to take a bigger responsibility. Some students dont get watch you teach so you have to look for different strategies. I would say stick to special ed.