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The differences between student teachers and special education teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a student teacher has an average salary of $59,035, which is higher than the $54,290 average annual salary of a special education teacher.
The top three skills for a student teacher include classroom management, math and language arts. The most important skills for a special education teacher are classroom management, autism, and behavior management.
| Student Teacher | Special Education Teacher | |
| Yearly salary | $59,035 | $54,290 |
| Hourly rate | $28.38 | $26.10 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 79,071 | 67,699 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A student-teacher is responsible for assisting their supervising instructors in maintaining the class orderliness during lectures and class activities. Student teachers' duties include helping with lesson plans, organizing learning activities, managing student behaviors, observing classroom procedures, preparing visual materials and other educational equipment, providing feedback for students, and keeping students' records for evaluation. A student-teacher must maintain excellent communication and decision-making skills to set goals and make consistent progress to the class while keeping students engaged.
A special education teacher is responsible for teaching students with disabilities. Special education teachers are trained professionals to provide distinct learning instructions for children with special cases for them to achieve their potentials and improve their self-confidence. A special education teacher must have excellent communication and organizational skills to assist the students with their learning areas. Special education teachers should be able to come up with engaging activities to support the students' behavioral and intellectual development.
Student teachers and special education teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Student Teacher | Special Education Teacher | |
| Average salary | $59,035 | $54,290 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $74,000 | Between $39,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Baltimore, MD |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Great Hearts Academies | Baltimore City Public Schools |
| Best paying industry | Education | Government |
There are a few differences between a student teacher and a special education teacher in terms of educational background:
| Student Teacher | Special Education Teacher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Elementary Education | Special Education |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between student teachers' and special education teachers' demographics:
| Student Teacher | Special Education Teacher | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.4% Female, 73.6% | Male, 24.6% Female, 75.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 3.7% White, 69.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 3.6% White, 71.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |