If you happen to have a personality that makes you a particularly patient and understanding student who is also interested in becoming a teacher, then you may want to consider becoming a resource room teacher. This career choice will allow you to truly make a difference in the lives of children and youth who are dealing with a wide range of disabilities, and here are just a few of the tasks that you may expect to perform when you choose this career path.
1. Individualized Education Plans
It’s the responsibility of the resource room teacher to create a personalized education plan for each student in the class. The unique needs of each student must be taken into consideration, and you’ll have the input of school administrators, the parents or guardian of the student, other teachers who work closely with the student and any pertinent medical professionals to assist you in creating a workable plan. Throughout the school year, this plan must be reviewed regularly and necessary changes made to ensure the best learning environment and greatest chance of success for the student.
2. Daily Lesson Plans
Even though your students haven’t been mainstreamed into regular classes, that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be learning from the same curriculum. You’ll be expected to teach the core subjects in a way that your students may understand and learn from the experience. This may include utilizing hands-on methods and various other manipulations to teach simple concepts that can then be incorporated into a better understanding of the subject. Many schools provide paraprofessionals to assist with the various teaching methods that must be used to serve each student.
3. Personal Behavior and Life Skills
As a resource room teacher, you may be expected to teach children with mild to moderate disabilities or those with much more significant cognitive disabilities. Because you will become a trusted, familiar person who your students will see most every day, it will often fall to you to also teach a bit about appropriate personal behavior and various life skills along with the regular curriculum. This may include such important fundamentals as communication techniques, socialization skills and various behavior-modification techniques.
4. Daily Evaluations
Many children with special needs tend to have low expectations for themselves and have often developed clever ways to avoid responsibility. It will be up to you to carefully monitor each of your students every day to ensure that they are actively working towards learning the lessons that they are given. If a student is unable to do the work that you’ve provided, then you’ll need to take steps to review the subject matter to get them back up to speed.
5. Motivational Counseling
As a resource room teacher, you’re the person who can motivate your students to learn and succeed at their highest potential. Instead of feeling like a failure because of their disabilities, it’s up to you to ensure that each child leaves your classroom feeling like a winning individual. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways that include utilizing a board that highlights the daily achievements of each student or ensuring that each child meets at least one new goal on a regular basis.
Teaching children with special needs in order to help them reach their full potential can be extraordinarily rewarding work, and this may just be the perfect career choice for you. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, you may expect to earn nearly $60,000 a year with summers off when you choose this important career.
See also: What is an Instructional Coach?
