Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
Educational Instruction and Library
Classroom days mix instruction with specialized techniques meant to build language, memory, thinking, and sensory-motor skills. Lesson goals have to be stated clearly, materials prepared in advance, and behavior managed through consistent rules plus methods such as positive reinforcement. Accurate student records and required reports take regular time, as do meetings with parents, administrators, and specialists to write IEPs and work through academic or behavior problems. It fits people who like structured teaching, detailed recordkeeping, and working with others on individual student plans.
Typical education: Bachelor’s Degree (4-year)
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$74'260
Median Wage Market Position
$74'260
What you might do
- Use special methods to build language and memory
- Keep complete records and write required reports
- Teach acceptable behavior using positive reinforcement
- Tell students the goals of each lesson
- Work with parents and specialists on IEPs
- Prepare classrooms and materials for daily activities
Skills that matter
- Explaining lesson goals to students
- Writing reports the district requires
- Teaching language and memory strategies
- Building high school education plans
- Tracking academic and behavior progress
- Working with families on school problems
AI & the future of this role
Secondary special education blends subject support with individualized coaching and liability-sensitive decisions about student needs. Content tools might help prepare materials, but in-person guidance and professional judgment are likely to continue anchoring the role.
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Related careers
Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details