Inclusion Teacher Jobs

Many intervention specialists spend a majority or all of their day in an inclusion setting. They work in conjunction with a regular education classroom teacher and co-teach to enable students with disabilities to learn in the least restrictive environment possible.

Inclusion programs have helped eliminate the tragedy of students with disabilities and special education teachers spending the entire school day in cramped learning spaces like an old janitor’s closet.

All students have the right to be a valued member of the school community. The philosophy of inclusion is described as “children that learn together, learn to live together.”

Strong collaborative skills are needed by inclusion teachers. They must build relationships with their co-teachers and other colleagues. These are tough jobs. Combining the teaching styles of two teachers can be challenging; special education teachers must be flexible. Yet, they must ensure they are viewed as an equal co-teacher by the students and not a teacher aide type figure. While the special education teacher has specific students in the classroom she is responsible for, she must also be a teacher to each student in the class.

Inclusion teachers must work with the content area teachers to develop a fair plan for classroom duties. Sharing the workload of grading papers and planning lessons is essential for an effective partnership. However, inclusion teachers also have multiple teachers to plan with and the added work of creating IEP’s and other paperwork required of special education teachers. This must be taken into account.

The work schedule of inclusion teachers often makes it difficult for them to plan with the regular education teachers. Proper planning is often accomplished by teachers meeting outside of the regular school day.

Inclusion teachers must be great problem solvers. They have to take the current curriculum, activities, and assessments and modify them to meet the needs of each student they are responsible for. Designing alternative assessments and determining learning expectations on an individual basis requires a high level of creativity and planning.

They must create new methods of teaching a subject besides the traditional approaches. A strong understanding of each individual’s learning preferences is necessary.

When inclusion teachers do not have solid relationships with their co-teachers or have inadequate time to plan, they can become frustrated with their position. Otherwise, inclusion teachers are blessed with allowing their students to succeed in the least restrictive environment possible. Teachers experience rich satisfaction from seeing their students master the traditional curriculum through the use of well-designed modifications and accommodations.

The accomplishments of two dedicated teachers in one classroom can be magical.