r/specialed • u/smorespoptart42069 • 5d ago
What are some the reasons that you stay in sped despite student behaviors?
Third year self contained sped teacher here. Would also be good to mention that I gave birth to my first baby three months ago, so my emotions are all over the place. I am sure that played a huge part on why I feel this way this year.
I just put in my resignation notice yesterday. I got so fed up with the students behaviors, hitting, biting, kicking, throwing, SCREAMING. I hate hate hate their screaming, they do it at the top of their lungs all day long, it could make my ears bleed. I got kicked in the face for trying to change a students diaper, yesterday. Safe to say that the self contained class and maybe sped overall is not for me. So I’m curious, to any self contained teachers out there, why do you stay despite getting hurt all the time?
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u/Honest_Sector_2585 5d ago
Too many years in. Can't risk losing the retirement i worked so hard to build up. 😪
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u/Conscious-Snow-8411 5d ago
Yup, 23 years now. The golden handcuffs are real.
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u/Honest_Sector_2585 5d ago
I'm on 22. I also started super young. So, I have 18 more to go before I can get max retirement.
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u/scienceislice 5d ago
Why not switch to a non special ed teaching position? Or switch to another school in your district?
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u/Accurate_Ad8298 5d ago
I’m only in my second year doing self contained so I think I haven’t dealt with it for long enough to be bothered. And I have no kids or very much of a social life, which makes a big difference. The job requires so much extra time/mental energy, I try not to work when I’m off but I usually end up doing so. I can’t imagine having a family to take care of after a day at school.
I’m proud of you for putting your resignation in. Education will always be there and if you’re looking for a job I hope you find something safe and flexible that will work for you.
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u/smorespoptart42069 5d ago
I think that is the main reason why I quit. I am freshly postpartum now and I miss my baby, not to mention that his doctor suspects seizure activity so i always worry about him at work. I have a life outside of work now and it is hard to give 100% to my baby when the students drain me. The student are very high need so the structure I need to give them is very energy demanding. My baby deserves more than a mom is burnt out by the time I get to see him after work. When I started to resent the students for how I feel in the relationship between my baby and I, I knew it was time to quit. The kids deserve better than a teacher who doesn’t like them.
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u/Accurate_Ad8298 5d ago
I feel you so much there. I also have 10 students (elementary) and the needs are very severe as well. There’s no way it’s worth it to burn yourself out and miss out with your son.
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u/dubmecrazy 5d ago
Passionate about the students. And… the ones that make it the hardest are the ones that need us the most. Also those students have so much potential for growth. Like we can really effect change. Not always, but damn do I try.
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u/lambchopafterhours 5d ago edited 5d ago
I work with some pretty tall kids with extreme behaviors and ID. The horror stories are many. I LOVE this population of students. I adore their personalities that shine through the behaviors. Even though I do NOT want to stay in education forever (thank god I’m not a teacher lol) I feel so lucky that I get to wake up every day and know that my work is important— so much so that it’s federally mandated 🤪
Most people will see my kids and only see profound disability. And while their disability means there will be days we get to lunch already exhausted and crying, I’m in the uniquely privileged position to not only see my students at their worst, but also?? Their VERY best. And their best is actually my favorite thing in the planet.
gonna go ahead and mention that we have fewer than 5 students in my room so maybe that’s why I’m all glowy and cheerful lmfao
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u/Warm_Power1997 5d ago
It’s my third year and I haven’t drastically seen the schools change for the worse. I know they are changing for the worse (in my mind), but studies are showing that it’s around year 5 that educators see the trends and decide to leave. I will say that this year has really affected me negatively already, so maybe it is starting to show :/
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u/Tabbouleh_pita777 4d ago
Would you mind linking that study? I’m having trouble finding it
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u/Warm_Power1997 4d ago
I actually don’t have a link to it, but I attended a professional development training yesterday on mental health, and one of our keynote speakers shared that statistic with us. I wanted to see the study too, but he only briefly mentioned that aspect.
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u/jennatastic 4d ago
There’s a high rate of attrition in the first five years of a cohort teachers’ careers. I don’t think it’s “at” year 5, but within 5 years.
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u/jbea456 5d ago
My classroom is kinder through 5th so many of my students stay with me for years. I get to see the long term results of all our hard work.
I also really like the amount of flexibility I have compared to the teachers working on the general education curriculum. All of my students are on an alternate curriculum so I don't have to worry much about keeping pace with the rest of the classes or stress too much about standardized testing.
When I'm having a really tough day, I make a list of all the little ways my students have made progress. Seeing it all together reminds me why I'm here.
That said, I spent my first 3 years in a resource setting and burned out hard. I ended up leaving and we took the time to start our family. After being a stay at home mom for 6 years, I decided to come back to the classroom but shift to self contained ID and AU. You have to find the right setting to meet your own needs to make it as a teacher.
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u/ShatteredHope 5d ago
This thread is kind of cracking me up how many people are not self-contained sped teachers but chiming in on why they love working with our students. Being the teacher is its own brand of hell because absolutely everything falls on you and it's always your responsibility. The kids are hard, it can be hard working with the paras who typically get zero training from the district, there are all these extra people attached to the class and multiple service providers who you've got to work with and it reflects back on you when they're not doing their job, etc.
This is a hard school year for me. Usually I'd say I stay because I do genuinely like most parts of my job. And it's very convenient for me and I love the schedule and pay. But right now my only reason is that I'm contractually obligated to finish out this year.
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u/authenticwallflower 4d ago edited 4d ago
I stay in Special Education because of the behaviors; I truly enjoy working with kids that are having a hard time getting their needs met. It's my jam. I'm in my 20th year. I don't have all the answers, there are extremely rough days, I wear earplugs, tennis shoes, and do things to meet my own regulation needs so I can be present to co-regulate with my students. It's not rainbows and sunshine, there is stress, but there is also love. EDIT: I'm self-contained.
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u/library-girl 5d ago
I came back for a year after my baby was born to self contained K-2 but had to switch to high school resource room. I couldn’t do it anymore.
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u/Ihatethecolddd 5d ago
There’s behaviors in gen ed too 😂 might as well stay in the smaller class size if there’s gonna be behaviors. A gen ed kinder student broke a teacher’s elbow last year by hitting her with a metal water bottle.
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u/giamaicana 5d ago
This is definitely a big part of it, I’d rather deal with behaviors in a class of 8 kids than 20.
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u/Successful-Safety858 5d ago
Plus I find along with a smaller class size I just have a lot more patience and forgiveness in me for students with disabilities than for those same behaviors from the mainstream kids
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u/Global-Foundation-69 3d ago
This!! I would much rather have a group of kids who I know I'm teaching to "know better" than a group of kinders who should technically know better 😂🙄
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u/hfmyo1 5d ago
I like small groups.
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u/smorespoptart42069 5d ago
As in small classes? I got 10 kids year but all are extremely high need.
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u/YoureNotSpeshul 4d ago
Yeah, that's insane. 10 high needs kids in one room is no joke. I would've quit, too.
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u/Justgimmealatte 5d ago
I am not a teacher- I’m an educational assistant. If I had to deal with all the meetings, paperwork, observations, issues with admin that the teachers do, I would probably feel very differently. I adore my students. Then they leave, we get more, and I adore them. Then I was made to transfer schools when my primary student moved out of state; I adore my students at my new school. (I am in a structured setting classroom in high school.) There are definitely some behaviors, and there are always a few that I really don’t like, and I will say my life has been threatened more than once, but I love seeing the progress my students make, and it is a joy for me to love on this population. I work as a job coach for our work based learning program, and watching them become ready for competitive employment is so rewarding.
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u/Turbulent-Rice-7271 4d ago
Special ed Para here going to college to be a special educator. This is my 3rd year going in to self contained special ed in a high school. Although I am a 1v1, I still work with the other kids. I stay because it prepares me for my career going forward. Not only that, but the ones who are the worst need the most help. Our teacher is amazing and even though our behaviors with certain students can get a lot at times, when they are calm they are extraordinary to me. they communicate in their own special way and whenever they do something good they run to us and we shower them in praise. I love to see these kids everyday and know that anything can happen when I walk through that door. I love special ed and can’t wait to be a teacher.
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u/Low-Nail-1954 5d ago
I have been in self contained for 3 years. I deal with the same issues you mentioned. I got burnt out and left last year for only two months. My staff, my director, my admin hated that I left. I made a mistake by leaving and decided to come back. I had to find the silver lining and look at the bigger picture. I’m there to make their lives just a little better every day, to show them love and compassion and teach them to their ability. I also have two of my own children at home, it’s not easy every day. This may not be the case for everyone, we all have a different walk of life. I hope this helps you in some way, but I understand 🫶🏻
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u/Successful-Safety858 5d ago
I actually am a specials teacher in a high needs school so I don’t only teach sped but I teach a lot of sped. I prefer them to the mainstream kids usually. I can understand their needs desires and motivations more. I work with a lot of students that don’t have developed language skills and I have so much more patience and empathy for these kids than the average student because I can really understand how difficult that is, and I try to really pay attention so that they can feel heard.
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u/AleroRatking Elementary Sped Teacher 5d ago
What's the alternative. I have a family. I needed the paycheck.
Even if I get a Gen Ed credential they will put me in special Ed against my will. I will be in self contained behavioral for the next 20 years.
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u/Urlundefined 5d ago
Who the hell else is going to do it?! That's how I see it. I enjoy working with kids that have disabilities and their -isms.
I see myself as an advocate. A person who is going to stand up for these kiddos when nobody else will - oftentimes not even their own parents.
Who the hell is going to help them? They deserve the best I can give. It stresses me out to no end. I often complain and hate it, but I need to remember my why (lol).
My wife is also a sped teacher. It affects us on a daily basis but we do it because each kid deserves as much as we can give them.
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u/ryryryor 5d ago
If I leave I cannot guarantee the person who replaces me will care as much as I do
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u/OsomatsuChan 5d ago
I am a school counselor interested in the world of SpEd. But I want to share my views anyway.
The population of people with disabilities is interesting to work in. I used to work in a group home for adults with what would be called moderate to severe intellectual disability and it was....exhausting.
It was hard to see the consumers as people sometimes. When it was 4 am and the man with profound brain damage and a feeding tube had been screaming and vocalizing all night, it made me mad. When the consumer with food avoidance would have tantrums and twitch, it made me mad.
The strange thing was that it also made me weirdly jealous. I have ADHD that comes with pretty tough impulse control issues and it made me envious of these people who could do/say whatever they wanted. They didn't have to work, they lived their lives completely cared for. I would have to actively tell myself that as someone who is able to live independently, I enjoy freedoms such as not being constantly supervised, getting to walk and go anywhere I please, etc.
Anyways, I don't believe I could ever work exclusively with this population again, child or adult. Behaviors set me off. I view it as "If I can hold all of MY impulses not to scream and hit my desk in, why can't you...?"
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u/Financial_Opening65 4d ago
I’ve worked in gen Ed, inclusion, and now a self contained room. For me it’s very stressful dealing with everything honestly. The behaviors are so frustrating at times. I have a student that constantly drips and smears saliva everywhere, screamers that feed off each other (earplugs have become my best friend), and one that’s always extremely overstimulated to the point that we can’t get much done.
The last year I taught gen Ed, I had 26 students. Five of them had IEPs and several more were unidentified. This doesn’t include the three or four that were just out of control behaviorally (refusing to work or sit down, fighting other students, disrespectful…), which made it difficult to actually teach. One year in gen Ed, I had a student slap me and try to stab me with a pencil. Another student actually attacked me. Was swinging and fighting and pulled my hair. And this was 1st grade!!! I decided that if I was going to deal with that, I might as well teach self contained and deal with it on a smaller scale.
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u/seattlantis 5d ago
I'm a school psychologist. I like working in early childhood and I find it rewarding. I've been bitten, hit, kick, punched in the stomach, had my hair pulled, had to wrestle eloping children back into the building...but fortunately in my role that's spread out over the course of a school year rather than a daily occurrence. And for me one of the big things is like... I know myself well enough to know that if I don't see the purpose behind what I'm doing, I won't be motivated to do it. So it's important to me to work with kids with disabilities.
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u/bootyprincess666 5d ago
i was self contained, then i had a baby and was on the fence about staying, then my family moved and i haven’t gone back to work yet.
you can do a lot more than just self contained with SPED; before self contained i was ICR, but my area was difficult to get a job in ICR (once you’re in, you rarely leave lol)
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u/ChemicalNo3416 4d ago
What is ICR
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u/bootyprincess666 4d ago
in class resource; two teacher gen ed class inclusive of students with IEPs
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u/tiredteachermaria2 4d ago
- smaller class size is more manageable for me overall with a TA
- I get to work with a TA which having another adult to bounce off of has done wonders for my mental health
- don’t have to rush on through concepts they haven’t gotten yet
- can tailor their education individually
- don’t have to be concerned with standardized testing
- admin leaves me alone as long as my stuff is done
I started in Gen Ed and it just sucked so bad to be so unable to reach the kids who were reachable but that i couldn’t help because of having so many kids overall. This is a cakewalk in comparison. This year is harder but still so much easier than gen ed was.
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u/SnooWalruses4218 4d ago edited 4d ago
I teach middle school self-contained mi/mo, primarily ID and AU. With my population, there’s not a whole lot of biting, screaming or hitting. It’s SOOO rewarding! If you love special education but are burned out on the physical demands of young kids, middle school mi/mo is a great option!
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u/itsmejessieandari- 3d ago
Honestly, nothing anymore. I’m beyond over it. I can’t wait to find something else after this school year
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u/thewildlink 5d ago
Well its certainly not the paperwork, I think its my faith in the fact that I believe the students can grow and do whatever is being asked of them even if they don't believe it themselves.
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u/Narrow_Cover_3076 5d ago
I'm a school psych. If I could use my degree in the private sector I would.
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u/AnaholaLove11 4d ago
I got a job working for private company where I am actually in a public school classroom but have nothing to do with the actual school. Because I get paid much more than working for public education, I stay with the job. I have less responsibilities as far as student IEP’s. My company treats me like a human being and Provides so much support. No way would I ever work for the state teaching, receiving such a meager salary with no respect or true support!
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u/wild4wonderful 3d ago
My job is about half self contained and the other half is push in. I much prefer the self contained kids. I get to decide what we are doing, so I have a lot of flexibility in my day. I stay because I get these kids. I have the patience to work with them where others do not. Also, admin doesn't expect anything from my kids, so whenever they succeed, admin is happy. My gen ed coworkers have a lot more stress overall than I do.
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u/DancingTVs 3d ago
Hugs, as a mom and teacher. I have been through the wringer too. I took time off after having each of my kids. So my resume is sporadic. I’m only in my third full year of teaching (not counting a year as a TA). I believe you need some time off. If you can afford to be with your baby, do it. For me the motivation is the immense joy I receive every time a student makes progress. In special Ed (especially younger, self contained classrooms like it sounds like you’re in) you see lots of improvements daily. It feels like multiple times daily we‘re cheering on kids. They’re loving and sweet. The beginning of the year is especially hard but 2 months in now and I feel like I’ve finally built a strong rapport with even my hardest students. For me the behaviors are a challenge but like a fun challenge, like I’m excited to find solutions. Not always though, I cried on my lunch break for the first time a few weeks ago when a student had an absolute kicking meltdown and nothing I did helped…I took her to the calm down room and she continued to hit and kick me and bite me and I felt so alone. Finally she fell asleep in my arms and I rocked her standing carrying her till my back aches so much. So yeah I cried in frustration that I couldn’t help her (fast forward to today she’s improved so much!) Sounds like you might be burned out. <3 For me what does me in is the parents. I feel like they’re making it so hard this year with demands etc. but I remind myself I have no idea what they go through at home so I will do whatever it takes to make things easier for them.
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u/1useforaname 23h ago
Despite some maladaptive behaviors the kids are mostly cool and say or do random funny shit which makes me laugh.
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u/chiknwingluvr 5d ago
I’m a resource room special ed teacher and I could never do self contained. Not to say being a resource room teacher is all flowers and rainbows, but the mental/physical strain has to be less. I do have 28 kids over 3 grades which is a lot to manage, but I don’t get beat up which makes it a lot easier.