Special Education Teacher Resume Example & 3 Expert Tips

A Special Education Teacher works in all levels of schools to help students who need extra help due to learning disabilities. Below is a general job description:

Special education teachers in elementary school work with young students who face various learning disabilities. They may aim to help students transition into regular classes, or simply help them improve functionality. Every student should be evaluated separately, as the limitations and abilities of each student vary greatly. The job may occasionally involve assisting students with hygiene or mobility, so it is important to have necessary physical strength, as well.

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If this is the kind of job you want or you have, you're in the right place! We have a resume example for you and three tips from our professional resume writers below.

Special Education Teacher Resume Example

Special Education Teacher Resume (text version)

Name

email | www.linkedin.com/in/ | phone number

Special Education Teacher

Creative, organized, Special Education Teacher highly regarded for extensive experience in classroom administration, professional development, and project planning. Student-centric instructor, academic facilitator, and motivational coach who champions student achievements while promoting a safe and positive learning environment. Creates engaging lesson plans and integrates educational technology to drive retention, comprehension, and participation. Accomplished in building trust and meaningful relationships between students, parents, and administrators. Thrives in fast-paced, diverse, and collaborative environments.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Special Education

• Child Development

• Communications

• Relationship Building

• Student Evaluations

• First Aid

• Program Development

• Program Evaluation

• Learning Models

WORK EXPERIENCE

Special Education Teacher | New York City, NY  Year – Present

• Coordinated special education students and teacher assistant schedules with the master schedule.

• Organized instruction material, including constructing bulletin boards and setting up work areas.

• Created and managed IEPs to define student learning objectives and educational strategies, in addition to applying instructional knowledge and methods to support goals.

• Worked with students with moderate to severe autism to increase life skills. 

• Developed and managed instructional materials and reports.

• Established a safe play environment for the students.

• Gave one-on-one attention to students, while maintaining overall focus on the entire group.

• Designed and implemented a point system to encourage positive behavior.

Special Education Teacher | New York City, NY  Year – Present

• Attended monthly staff training sessions.

• Collaborated with students with multiple degrees of special needs to accomplish various tasks. 

• Worked with students across multiple classifications and degrees of special needs.

• Physically and verbally interacted with students throughout the day.

• Completed intensive leadership training and provided training to colleagues on applied behavior analysis.

• Led activities that developed students' physical, emotional and social growth.

• Redirected poor behavior using the positive reinforcement method.

• Provided life skills programming for students with moderate to severe autism.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science | New York University

Certification | School

Bonus: free resume template

ZipJob now offers a resume template you can download. The template is set up with an easy to read layout like the example above. It has clear section headings, modern font, and follows a reverse-chronological resume format, which is preferred by hiring managers and applicant tracking system (ATS) scans.

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How to write a Special Education Teacher resume: 3 tips

Only include 10 to 15 years of experience

You should keep your resume's work experience limited to the last 10 or 15 years. There are two reasons for this:

1. It keeps your resume focused on your most recent experience

2. It keeps your resume focused on your most relevant experience

In most cases, the jobs you held more than 15 years ago will not help you land a job. Either you have done similar tasks more recently, in which case you don't need to repeat yourself. On the other hand, you may have changed careers since then, making your previous experience confusing and irrelevant.

For more about relevant work experience, head over to this article next: What Does Relevant Work Experience Mean On A Resume?

Maximize your core competencies

The core competencies on your resume, or key skills, are a powerful way to show an ATS scan that you're a great applicant. This section should change slightly for almost every job you apply for. You want to keep it highly tailored to the job description. For example, if one of your core competencies is customer service but the job description is looking for client communication skills, swap out "customer service" for "client communication."

To identify the best skills to highlight here, this list of 10 vital skills to put on your resume is a good starting point.

Always add a cover letter

Your cover letter is your chance to start a conversation with your employer. Your resume proves you have the skills and qualifications for the job, but your cover letter invites a further discussion. Whenever possible, use a cover letter to succinctly explain why you're the perfect fit for the role. You can also highlight your most compelling achievements from your resume--but limit yourself to two or three achievements. Finally, invite the employer to contact you by phone or email.

For more cover letter tips, head over to our guide: What A Good Cover Letter Looks Like

Summary

Having a great resume will help you land your next job as a Special Education Teacher. Use this example as a guide to what kind of skills and experience employers are looking for in this field.

Still have questions? Comment below or hire your own resume writer. Zipjob has over 100 professional resume writers with experience in all industries, ready to help you create your best resume. Click below to see our services: