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Home : 2004 : January : 23

SPED
By jk

You really can't make a blanket statement about teaching job availability in Illinois. It depends on where you live and where you're interested in teaching. I live in the far NW suburbs of Chicago and many of the schools
out here are facing financial concerns, and to be honest, jobs are scarce. The good thing, Rhonda, is that it always seems that SPED teachers are in demand.
Congratulations on your career change decision! I went back to school for a teachers degree at 35 and graduated 13 years (& another kid) later. I work in SpecEd and I really enjoy seeing my kids do things now that they couldn't

do 4 months ago.
Some things to keep in mind: in SpecEd you count progress in baby steps, not leaps and bounds. There is ALWAYS paperwork to be done, so it helps if you are an organized person, but not too anal about it (this is my problem, I keep over organizing!). Of course, some of my friends are great teachers and have a very cluttered desk! Have a support system: a spouse or fellow teacher that you can "unload" on. I have a good friend who's also a SpecEd teacher & neither of our husbands understand our problems & concerns,etc., so we dump on each other all the time. It's always nice to get another perspective on a problem and to have someone listen who really understands.
Good Luck!