If you are interested in becoming a special education teacher, you will find that one of the trickiest parts of the job is working with general education teachers. In most states and in most schools, the days of special education students being educated in separate schools or in separate classrooms within the same school are gone. While some students may still receive the majority of their education within a separate classroom, nearly all special education students educated within the public school setting will be included in the general education classes at some point during the day. As such, part of your job will involve working with the general education staff.

Unfortunately, some general education teachers are reluctant to work with special education students. Even those who are willing to work with this special population of student may feel uncertain about how to work with them effectively. After all, most general education teachers have not received specialized training in working with children with special needs. Therefore, part of your job as a special education teacher is to overcome these barriers so your students can obtain the best education possible. The following are five tips to help you improve your working relationship with general education teachers

Tip #1: Communicate Frequently

Perhaps the single most important thing you can do to build a relationship with the general education staff is to communicate with them frequently. By checking in with them and asking them about their concerns, they will know that they are not being left to fend for themselves when working with a special needs student. If at all possible, try to communicate with the teachers in a social manner as well. Eating lunch with the general education teachers and attending social gatherings with your co-workers, for example, will help you get to know each other on a more personal basis. As a result, you will grow more comfortable with working with each other and coming to one another with your concerns.

Tip #2: Offer Workshops and Assistance

You can also help strengthen your relationship with the general education staff by offering workshops or offering to meet with them to discuss ways for them to better assist your students. Not only does this help open up the lines of communication, it also helps to establish the fact that you are an expert in this area and someone who the teacher can rely upon for professional advice.

Tip #3: Know How Much to Push

No matter how friendly you are or how available you make yourself to the general education teachers, some will still be resistant to taking your advice or to helping the students in the best way possible. With these teachers, you need to determine how much you can push without pushing them away completely. In other words, work on slowly winning the teacher over rather than expecting the teacher to change dramatically within a short period time. Keep in mind that the face of special education has changed significantly over the last several years and some teachers are still having a hard time making the adjustment. This is particularly true of those teachers who have been teaching for many years and remember the days when special education students were not included in their classrooms.

Tip #4: Have Patience

As was alluded to in the fourth tip, it is also important for you to have patience. Not only do you need to have patience with the teachers, but with yourself as well. Remember that changing the mindset of other teachers can take some time and it may take a few school years before you really have established a good working relationship with some of the teachers in your building.

Tip #5: Get the Administration on Board

If you are experiencing serious issues with one or more of the general education teachers in your building, you might want to consider bringing the administration on board to help you make a change. With the backing of a good administrator, you can be certain your students will receive the education and assistance they deserve.