It was during the career day of our secondary school when I saw a booth for teachers and one of the brochures mentioned career opportunities for becoming a special needs or special education teacher – an educator specialising in teaching and educating students with medical, mental or psychological disabilities with the use of methods or techniques that would address their individual differences and needs. It was already the last term in my final year in secondary school and I decided that becoming a teacher for students with special needs would be my choice of career.
So beginning from the first semester until the last semester and just before I graduated, I read and studies various books and other materials on how to become a special needs teacher. I learned that the educational path for a special needs teacher is taking up a bachelor's degree in education and afterwards, then, take up a master's degree, or I could take up a specialised bachelor's degree in special education.
I learned that it is preferable if I take up an expertise in special needs education such as specialising for teaching students with physically handicapped, learning disabilities, mental illnesses, or emotional disturbances. I also learned that I should select a specific age group of students that I want to teach – young children through early adolescents from six to 13 years old, and early adolescents through young adults from 14 to 21 year old levels.
I am glad that I read and studied books and materials about teachers for special needs education. Now that I am a first year student taking up a bachelor's degree in education, my long-term plan when I graduate and pass the teacher's licensor exam is to work as a teacher in school with special needs students while taking up a master's degree in special education so I would eventually become a teacher for children with special needs.
