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Special educator vs long term substitute teacher

The differences between special educators and long term substitute teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a special educator has an average salary of $53,565, which is higher than the $42,808 average annual salary of a long term substitute teacher.

The top three skills for a special educator include autism, student learning and math. The most important skills for a long term substitute teacher are classroom management, long-term substitute, and math.

Special educator vs long term substitute teacher overview

Special EducatorLong Term Substitute Teacher
Yearly salary$53,565$42,808
Hourly rate$25.75$20.58
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs62,54569,133
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age4342
Years of experience--

What does a special educator do?

A special education teacher's role is to facilitate learning for students with disabilities. The responsibilities of a special education teacher typically revolve around identifying the needs of students, devising lesson plans and strategies to meet their needs, developing test structure to assess their learning, and assisting them in areas of difficulties. It is also essential to coordinate with families and guardians, reporting to them should there be any problems. Furthermore, as a special education teacher, it is necessary to monitor the students' progress and behavior, maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment for them.

What does a long term substitute teacher do?

A long term substitute teacher is responsible for covering the duties of a teacher who is away for a long time. Long term substitute teachers proceed with the lesson plan outlines and the regular teacher's curriculum depending on their expertise. They monitor and assess the students' behavior, create an engaging learning environment, evaluate the students' learning progress by conducting a series of tests, create reports of the students' performance, and help students struggling with the subject.

Special educator vs long term substitute teacher salary

Special educators and long term substitute teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Special EducatorLong Term Substitute Teacher
Average salary$53,565$42,808
Salary rangeBetween $38,000 And $75,000Between $30,000 And $59,000
Highest paying CityOceanside, NYOxnard, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkCalifornia
Best paying companyCapistrano UnifiedCapistrano Unified
Best paying industryGovernmentEducation

Differences between special educator and long term substitute teacher education

There are a few differences between a special educator and a long term substitute teacher in terms of educational background:

Special EducatorLong Term Substitute Teacher
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common majorSpecial EducationElementary Education
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Special educator vs long term substitute teacher demographics

Here are the differences between special educators' and long term substitute teachers' demographics:

Special EducatorLong Term Substitute Teacher
Average age4342
Gender ratioMale, 21.3% Female, 78.7%Male, 27.9% Female, 72.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 3.6% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 3.7% White, 68.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage8%9%

Differences between special educator and long term substitute teacher duties and responsibilities

Special educator example responsibilities.

  • Lead the data team with interpreting results, including NWEA and other benchmark assessments.
  • Develop individual lesson plans at Pre-K level.
  • Work collaboratively with teachers in mathematics and writing.
  • Counsele and provide special education to senior kindergarten students.
  • Implement an individualize curriculum for a kindergarten student with a moderate cognitive impairment.
  • Develop interactive computer lessons to enhance science and math curriculum and student engagement utilizing technology.
  • Show more

Long term substitute teacher example responsibilities.

  • Create math lessons adopt from Florida 6th grade mathematics curriculum to meet individual learning styles and student comprehension levels
  • Lecture students about grammar and punctuation.
  • Develop, lead, communicate, and educate students of the geography curricula.
  • Deliver instruction over grammar, writing, reading, speaking, and listening skills.
  • Utilize academic standards design for ESL and regular education classrooms to construct long and short-term goals, units and lessons.
  • Design lessons to use in a pull-out ESL program that would supplement and review topics/information present in students' mainstream classrooms.
  • Show more

Special educator vs long term substitute teacher skills

Common special educator skills
  • Autism, 9%
  • Student Learning, 8%
  • Math, 7%
  • Public Schools, 7%
  • Learning Environment, 6%
  • Mathematics, 6%
Common long term substitute teacher skills
  • Classroom Management, 16%
  • Long-Term Substitute, 13%
  • Math, 11%
  • Public Schools, 7%
  • Social Studies, 6%
  • Student Learning, 3%

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