The great teacher Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit.”  I started my career in special education being my naturally laid back and somewhat lackadaisical self. When I became a special education teacher, I wanted my work to be more impactful. I desired better outcomes for my students which required me to change my mindset by rejecting the status quo and doing what made sense for my students. I know that I have the privilege to do what I do in large part to a couple of great teachers who refused to give up on me. My career in special education chose me and I am very grateful for the opportunity to pay it forward.  I decided to read the book, “The seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey and it changed my perception of myself both personally and professionally.

The first habit which serves as the foundation for other habits to follow is to become proactive.  I tried to keep everyone happy and pleased through my words and deeds; always saying and doing the right things to avoid conflicts and please those around me. I noticed that as I began to go against conventional wisdom as it relates to special education and began to advocate for my student’s rights to an equitable education and my rights as a teacher to provide said education, my thoughts, feelings, and motivations were no longer dependent on other people. My professional confidence increased significantly and I began advocating more aggressively for my students, and supported them in advocating for themselves.  I suddenly stopped being so laid back and became a person of action!

No matter what is happening in education, or your school environment seek self-awareness and focus only on things you can control. Teaching students with disabilities is challenging but you have the freedom and power within to turn negatives into positives based on how you choose to respond to things happening around you. Use the power of your imagination and your own consciousness to create an alternate reality of what is happening. Begin to see things not as they are but as you desire them to be and act accordingly. Choose not to respond to negativity; it will not serve your highest good so why allow it to drain you?

Highly effective special education teachers do not blame parents, the schools, the general education teacher, the paraeducator, the principal or any other stakeholder; they look at themselves.  I was empowered to begin my day by declaring, “Today I will be a better version of myself by working harder and more diligently to improve student learning.” When you are a Special education teacher who is proactive, you don’t care if other people like or approve of you. I decided not to invest the time nor the energy seeking validation from others. I had a job to do, and I did it extremely well; nothing else mattered. This “attitude” if you will, saved me from the misery I see teachers experiencing today in education. It’s all about perception. I loved every minute of my career as a special education teacher and not a day goes by that I don’t miss it immensely.

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Do not allow yourself to be held captive by the opinions of others.  If the principal did not acknowledge your great idea or did not tell you good morning, perhapes, they’re dealing with their own personal or professional struggles; everything is not about you! Don’t give energy to these self-defeating thoughts because you will only attract more of the same. Operating on such a low vibrational frequency will continue to persist in all aspects of your life.  If you work at a school that is negative and there are horrible people doing mortifying things, and you choose to stay despite the foolery that’s going on, shut up about it! You must tap into your self-awareness and imagination to create an internal peace within.  When adversity comes, and it will, how you respond will define who you are; always choose peace over calamity. I have learned to be at peace no matter the circumstances, what’s the alternative?

Do what needs to be done and stop waiting for someone else to do it. There is too much work to be done for anyone to sit back and wait for the next person to act or give you permission to act.  Find solutions and don’t wait for someone to solve your problems.  If you don’t know how to do something; learn! Seek knowledge in creative ways, independent of others.  Research your own interventions to meet the needs of your students instead of waiting for the school district to provide them.  Don’t expect anyone to hold your hand or spoon feed you in special education because it won’t happen and as a proactive educator, you shouldn’t expect it. There are many students with disabilities not getting their learning needs met because everyone is waiting for someone to act. To join the waitlist for “The SLAY! Collective,” our online professional learning community created exclusively for special educators by clicking here.

Use words that support your self-awareness because words have the power to create.  The Bible says, “Out of the same mouth proceeds blessings and curses.  For example, saying, “I hate IEP meeting because I don’t like public speaking,” renders you powerless to change or improve in that area of your job.  Be proactive and seek out ways to improve speaking publicly.  You selected a job which makes it necessary to speak publicly so you might as well be good at it. When we use proactive language, it creates a self-fulling prophecy of empowerment and professional autonomy needed to meet the challenges of our profession.

Always exude positive energy so you will attract other like-minded professionals to your circle.  Some refer this to having a growth mindset which is a great asset in special education. Do not focus on the problem, only focus on how you can improve the situation.  Deficits observed in others have nothing to do with you.  Focusing on the problem, ignoring the solution, and bringing nothing to the table except complaints is not helpful. We have all been in meetings with that one person who never has anything positive to say. Please don’t be that person and choose to stay positive in your thoughts, words, and deeds.

Yes, many special education teachers are leaving the profession for many reasons, but you don’t have to get caught up in that narrative if it does not apply to you. Create a narrative that is authentic to your experience by refusing to see special education, the school, the students, the administrators, other teachers or parents the way others may see them.  Begin seeing things the way you want to see them and use your imagination to infuse your surroundings with positive energy.  When you think, “If the principal wasn’t so uncooperative…” “If my students academic performance improved…” “If only I had a master’s degree….” When you focus on what you don’t have; lack becomes your reality. Instead focus on all that you want to become.  You can be a better, more efficient teacher.  You can be a more innovative, collaborative and open-minded teacher, if that is what you desire.  Special education teachers are not perfect but when they make mistakes, they should acknowledge it, take responsibility, and move on without condemnation. We have all experienced adversity in our career because much of the learning curve involves making big mistakes. We all have screwed up, learned from the experience, and get better.

Lastly, make choices in your career based on values not impulse.  Reflect before acting and control what you do about the things that happen to you.  The main tenet of being proactive is taking responsibility for every aspect of your life. Teachers who are always in control are the one who become great educational leaders and make significant contributions to education.  Take responsibility for all your stuff and own it.  Move forward toward greatness in your life and create the life of your dreams by using your imagination to infuse your life with everything to serve your highest good. From that place you will become the greatest version of yourself.

Hello, Hello……There are still spots left for our Special Ed Teacher SLAY Boot Camp where you will become the best of the best!!! Click here to join our waitlist for our new cohort, starting in June 2023.