Why Not Study for a Special Education Degree?

When you are deciding what to study at college, why not study for a special education degree?  If you are considering teaching as your profession once you graduate from college, then a special education degree could be a great asset to have on your resume.

Today, we are seeing an increasing percentage of children who are presenting signs of illnesses and conditions that require a special education teacher.  Add to this an increase in the amount of physically challenged children who have parents wanting them in mainstream schools so that they get a good education, and you can begin to see that there is soon going to be a shortage of teachers who are qualified to teach them - and that's where your special education degree will come in useful. 

Many of the students who find themselves in a special need class do not lack the intelligence to learn.  What they need is a teacher who can understand what problems they have in a classroom environment, and knows how to get around that and help the child achieve the best education possible.  A special education degree will equip you with the skills you need to do that.  One of the problems that mainstream teachers have with these children is that they don't have the time to spend individually with them because of the large class sizes they are teaching.  A special needs teacher has smaller classes and so is able to get to know her students betters and decide the best pattern of learning for them. 

Studying for a special education degree will equip you to handle children who are slower to learn than average and so just a little extra time for things to sink in, and also those who have conditions such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (more commonly known as ADHD), autism and even dyslexia.  All of these, and a myriad of others that fall within the scope of a special education teacher, will need an individual education plan that is worked on both by the teacher, and the child's parents/guardians.  This creates a "team" around the child all working in the same direction to ensure the child gets a good education despite the learning difficulties that their health issues create.  With a special education degree you will acquire the skills not only to teach, but also to create that team and be one of the most important people that each child in your care comes in contact with.  Where could you get better job satisfaction than that?