Mentor Teacher skills for your resume and career

In any teaching position, whether special education or otherwise, it is perhaps the soft skills that are the greatest indicators of professional aptitude and success. In my years as a principal, we used to call this "teacher mojo," and it was an aura that is easier to glean in an interview than on a resume but centers around those personal traits that the person brings with them to the table beyond their content and pedagogical knowledge and expertise. A hiring administrator wants to know that the candidate is collaborative; special education teachers are expected to partner with their general education colleagues and related service providers and serve as case managers of interdisciplinary teams. They need to have excellent listening and facilitation skills, demonstrated through approachability, patience, flexibility, cultural competence, and the ability to lead sometimes difficult conversations. Special educators need to have impeccable time management skills and be reliable when meeting deadlines, as timelines are set by federal legislation and state regulation, not simply the whim of a school administrator. Additionally, they need to model inclusivity and kindness; they are often the voices in their buildings for the excluded students. They should be confident enough to say, for example, "have we thought about accessibility concerns for the upcoming field trip?" and be willing to kindly remind their colleagues of equal access and inclusivity when someone suggests "leaving those kids behind just this one time."

It would be important for a special education teacher applicant to have experience administering standardized assessments and to be able to list specific examples of names of those assessments. These could include state assessments administered for NCLB purposes or norm-referenced assessments administered to students who are undergoing the child study or eligibility (or re-evaluation) process. Additionally, successful candidates can articulate not only standard classroom technology hardware and software systems in which they may be proficient but can also specifically name examples of adaptive and assistive technology equipment and programs they have used with students for IEP accommodations. Finally, special education teachers must also have skills in data collection and analysis, as they are responsible for setting measurable individualized targets for student performance, gathering regular data to assess growth toward those targets as skills are taught, and then analyzing those data to make instructional decisions. They also need to be able to use and interpret these data and other assessment data for stakeholders (such as parents) and work with the IEP team to plan appropriate services, accommodations, and placements for students based on measurable outcomes.

I think that learning is on a continuum. By advancing their degrees and graduate credit, teachers can move up the district’s salary schedule while continuing to perfect their craft.

Graduates will need critical thinking skills and the ability to read, understand, and summarize complex texts, developing compelling arguments comprehensively and concisely. I think a religious studies/theology major will equip students with these 'soft' skills. In an increasingly multicultural and multireligious society, awareness and familiarity with different religious traditions will also be assets.

The technical skills that I believe will serve incoming teachers will be the ability to engage students in multiple formats for communication and delivery of instruction. There are many platforms for delivering instruction and being able to adapt to new platforms will be helpful. I believe getting comfortable making quick video tutorials for students and parents will also be necessary.