Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten

What this job is

Teach academic, social, and life skills to kindergarten students with learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Includes teachers who specialize and work with students who are blind or have visual impairments; students who are deaf or have hearing impairments; and students with intellectual disabilities.

What they do day to day

• Instruct students with disabilities in academic subjects, using a variety of techniques, such as phonetics, multisensory learning, or repetition to reinforce learning and meet students' varying needs.
• Prepare objectives, outlines, or other materials for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or school or state requirements.
• Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities.
• Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, or administrative regulations.
• Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
• Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
• Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
• Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, or social development.
• Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory.
• Meet with parents or guardians to discuss their children's progress, advise them on using community resources, or teach skills for dealing with students' impairments.

Skills and knowledge that matter most

Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).

Education and preparation

Preparation level 4 of 5 — Considerable preparation. Usually a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.

Who this job suits

Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.

Job titles you'll see in postings

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