Special Education Teacher Resume

Writing your resume for special education teaching isn’t always easy. As a special educator, you know your skills are diverse and your daily responsibilities vary widely. It’s difficult to simplify all that you do in a one-page resume.

Use these tips to help you put together a great special education teacher resume that will make a good impression on any principal:

1. Highlight your special education teacher skills

Addressing the needs of students with disabilities is a difficult task. To make sure you’re capable of handling the job, school administrators and hiring managers will be looking to see that you have the specific skills needed to help these students excel.

Show them you can be trusted to lead a classroom by highlighting important hard and soft skills in the skills section of your resume.

Don’t forget to add any certifications you’ve attained for special education in this section too.

Here is a diverse list of the top skills included in special education teacher resumes:

• State certification in special education
• Functional and Life Skills curriculum
• Differentiated instruction
• Working with students with physical disabilities, speech or hearing impairment
• Working with autistic children, children with mental disabilities
• Faculty collaboration
• First-aid certified or basic medical care skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Behavior redirection
• Student needs assessment
• Classroom management
• Basic computer skills
• Empathy
• Stress management

2. Emphasize your soft skills

Soft skills are the skills that cannot necessarily be taught and reflect how you interact with others and respond to difficult situations.

As a special educator, schools will want to see you have the patience and empathy to deal with students with behavioral difficulties, and keep parents informed about their child’s progress.

While you shouldn’t overload your skills section with soft skills, it’s important that you emphasize a few key credentials specific to special education teaching, such as:

• Adaptability and problem-solving skills
• Interpersonal skills (empathy, patience)
• Organizational skills (time management)

3. Tailor your special education teacher resume to the job post

One of the best ways to show principals that you’re perfect for a special education teacher role is to describe your experience and skills in a way that addresses the needs of the specific position or school.

Not all special education teaching jobs are the same and neither are schools. What about the role or the school is unique? Is there anything about the job or mission statement that matches specifically your background or career goals?

Tailoring your resume to the job post will help you think through which skills are most relevant to include. Additionally, take note of any resume keywords and desired skills from the listing so you can highlight your best skills and omit those that are less relevant.

4. Highlight your education section

Special education teachers are typically required to hold certain degrees or certifications to be eligible for teaching jobs.

You don’t need a long resume education section to get an interview. However, there are certain items you should include, such as:

• Institutions you have attended
• Dates attended and degree awarded
• Special education teaching certification
• First aid certification or other relevant certificates

Additionally, any certifications for teaching students with disabilities should be mentioned in your education section. And then expand on these certifications (for example, how you got them) in your special education teacher cover letter.