The Value of Experience in Special Education

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At The Orion School we work with children who are by diagnosis spontaneous and free spirited which makes the work environment delightfully  fulfilling -  but consistently challenging.  All staff members need to be flexible and adaptive to really appreciate the great strengths that our students possess and at the same time be able to clear a path to learning for them to share these strengths with the world. 

When I see a teacher who has worked throughout their career with students who have neurobehavioral challenges like ADHD, Asperger’s or anxiety I am always impressed at how calm they are no matter what our students do or say. These are teachers who have attended school to become not just a teacher, but a special educator and have learned through years of experience not to go head to head with a child who needs to know that there is a strong yet sympathetic person there for when the storm passes. One such teacher brought in a few sets of animal ears, tails and noses on her first day teaching our students. To the delight of the students she explained that as long as they were on task and following the rules of the class they would be allowed to wear the costume accessories. She was a seasoned teacher and knew her students need to be interested in what they are learning as well as motivated to be engaged in the class.  Amazingly, this simple act was a successful way to immediately establish a rapport with the students and make the transition from new teacher to trusted teacher. While I can appreciate the energy that more rookie educators might be able to bring to the table, each year I become more aware of the immense value experience is when seeking special education teachers for complex students.