Special Education Teacher Resume: Tips, Free Templates & Examples

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As a Special Education Teacher, you’re great at connecting with students who have learning difficulties. We have the solution if this talent isn’t carrying over to resume building. Our personalized resume templates can easily help you pass the job application exam.

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The duties and role of special education teachers are invaluable, as they are responsible for providing knowledge to students with physical and learning difficulties. In addition, the job requires them to deduce learning needs accurately, prepare lessons, and many more. 

If you possess these abilities and wish to secure a job as an instructor, you will need an effective special education teacher resume. 

This document aims to show your value as a tutor by highlighting your skills, awards, education, and other factors. This article will be your guide to producing a compelling special education teacher resume. 

In this article, you will learn the following factors:

• The correct format for a special education teacher resume 
• How to write a professional resume objective and summary 
• How to include your experience, skills, education, etc., into a resume 
• The best practices for writing a professional resume 

Without further ado, let’s begin! 

If you’re not familiar with draft official documents or recollecting your experiences, achievements, and abilities and putting them on paper, making a resume will be tricky for you. 

Couple this factor with understanding the right format, font, style, etc. You may become overwhelmed with making your Special Education Teacher resume. For this reason, we recommend using our free resume builder for the task. 

Using our free resume Builder comes with the following benefits:

• Numerous templates to structure your resume 
• Save time by completing the task in a few clicks 
• An effective guide for formatting your resume
• Assists in forming your tone to prevent being monotonous

Consider using our resume builder to get your Special Education Teacher resume quickly. 

Resume Example

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[Alfred McCarthy]

[Special Education Teacher]

[39 Park Lane, CA 90017 | 213-544-0787 | alfredmccarthy@email.com]

Summary

Special Education Teacher with 11+ years of experience teaching multiple students in general education classroom settings. Able to deliver effective educational courses for special students possessing mental, emotional, and learning disabilities. Skilled at producing lesson outlines that capitalize on all students’ imagination, abilities, diverse learning styles, and interests.

Experience

Special Education Teacher

Adam’s Community School | Los Angeles, CA

2010 – 2021

• Worked with general education teachers to plan and implement instructions while ensuring 100% compliance with IEP standards
• Created interactive lesson plans to deliver special education to a classroom of 20 students
• Coordinated students via class rules while teaching behavioral strategies for better self-control
• Assessed students’ abilities and skills to deduce the most effective teaching plan for each child
• Conducted evaluation of 20+ students’ performance, behavior, social development, and physical health on regular basis

Education

Bachelor of Science in Special Education-Emotional Impairment

California State University, Chico, CA

2007 – 2010

Skills

Hard Skills:

• Functional and Life Skills Curriculum
• Basic computer skills 
• Behavior redirection
• Stress management
• Classroom management
• Working with students with physical disabilities, speech or hearing impairment
• Working with autistic children, children with mental disabilities
• Faculty collaboration
• First-aid certified or basic medical care skills

Soft Skills:

• Organizational skills 
• Time management 
• Detail-oriented 
• Effective communication 
• Problem-Solving 
• Team-oriented

Languages

English — Native

French – Fluent

Spanish – Conversational

Hobbies and Interests

• Community service
• Solidarity Run

Using the correct format when creating a special education teacher resume is essential as it allows employers to find the details they desire on your document quickly. Having a poorly organized document stretches the hiring manager’s patience and requires them to dedicate more mental energy to deciphering your resume. 

Also, as a teacher whose job involves taming children to provide knowledge, handling the chaos of creating a resume is indicative of your competence. For this reason, we recommend using the reverse-chronological order as it ensures your best and most recent achievements and experience meet the employer’s eyes. 

Below are some other factors to include while formatting:

• Insert your contact details in your resume header 
• Use a realistic business font (11-13)
• Include enough white space
• If submitting online, deliver the file in PDF format except the school specified a different option.

Your resume should not exceed 2 pages, except if you have exceptional qualifications that employers will find impressive.

Typically after the contact information, a resume will include a summary or objective, each providing different information to the employer. Due to the specific benefits they provide in job hunting, we recommend caution when selecting which one to use in your document. 

It’s worth noting that selecting either a resume summary or objective will depend on your job level, employment position, work experience, and other factors. To better navigate this decision, here’s more information on the subject:

What is a Resume Summary?

In a nutshell, a resume summary highlights the factors that best qualify you for the job. It’s similar to a cover letter, consisting of your professional experiences, skills, key projects, education, and more. 

Although this section accommodates several crucial elements, it shouldn’t be longer than a few lines, keeping the paragraph concise and straightforward. 

Example:

So, What is a Resume Objective?

Unlike a resume summary, an objective is a brief paragraph that informs the hiring manager about your intentions and career goals. It often includes the type of job you desire or what skills you wish to develop while working in the establishment. 

We recommend opting for this option if you know the specific area the school wants a special education teacher to tackle or have little experience in the field. Nevertheless, being able to communicate your desires about a job in your resume is indicative of your soft skills as a teacher.

Example:

We recommend resisting the temptation to list your duties and moving on to the next heading when creating this section. Instead, focus on highlighting your accomplishments, awards, success metrics, etc. This gives more depth to your career. 

For example:

Here’s a structure for writing engaging content on your special education teaching experience section:

• Begin with your most recent job and work backward (reverse-chronological format).
• List your job title, workplace name, and employment dates.
• List 3–8 bullet points per job.
• Ensure each bullet point highlights your accomplishments, responsibilities, or anything of the sort. 
• Your experience section should be consistent with the job ad. 
• Use more action verbs such as “led”, “managed”, “initiated; avoid “responsible for” or “duties included”. 
• Try including numbers or other metrics in your experience section.

Here are some examples of using metrics in your Experience section:

• Led Professional Development for 20 plus General Education Teachers on student engagement and differentiation.
• Improved passing rates for SPED students on regents’ exams in Earth Science and English by more than 50%, putting students on track for advanced diploma.
• Designed and implemented lesson plans, activities, and assessments to ensure the success of a diverse groups of students in a Title 1 school, grades 6-12
• Wrote grants funded by Y company resulting in over $3,000 in sports equipment and other instructional materials
• Established annual partnership with X company for $3,500 for community based instruction and program enrichment activities
• Coached and trained students in six different Special Olympics events (Basketball Skills Competition, Spring Games, Bowling Competition, Cubs Care Tee Ball, and Developmental Swim Competition)
• Taught classes of 15+ special education students full time for 5+ years.
• Developed new research-based teaching strategies, raising student engagement 30%.
• Raised student test scores in Math and English 25% through creating new, student-interest-centered lesson plans.

To work as a Special Education Teacher, you need to possess specific qualifications that indicate your ability to properly tutor children with special needs. These credentials can include a college degree in the field, a state teaching certificate, and more. 

To highlight your education on your resume, ensure to include the institution, its location, what degree you acquired, and the year you finished the program. It’s crucial for showing the employer your competence as a teacher. 

Example:

Beyond what formal education you possess, there are specific sets of skills that you need to possess to qualify for employment. The “Skills” section aims to show these elements to the hiring manager, thereby maximizing your chances of getting an interview. 

These skills are divided into two types, hard and soft skills, with each helping you tackle different duties in your job. Below is more information on both skills types:

What’s the Difference Between Hard and Soft Skills?

Hard skills are abilities you learn via courses, tutorials, programs, and other formal means of education, allowing you to tackle specific parts of your job. In other words, these are skills that you cannot acquire instinctively; they appear due to dedication and practice.

Unlike hard skills, soft skills are acquired from experiences, interactions with people, and other non-formal educational methods. These abilities are essential for communicating with your students, coworkers, managers, etc. They also help you assess and tackle issues before they escalate.

It’s not uncommon to have additional abilities, activities, and anything of the sort that may be worth mentioning but don’t fit the traditional resume headings. In this case, you can create a separate section to include this noteworthy element in your document. 

Some examples of these additional sections include:

• Languages
• Hobbies
• Volunteer work
• Awards or achievements

Keep in mind that including this extra section is risky because it can damage any good perception the hiring manager has about you if the elements are irrelevant. For example, if you create a new heading and include “I’m a marvel fan” for the sake of humor, you will appear unprofessional. 

Ultimately, we recommend only including important details worth mentioning, like your fluency in English and French or your passion for reading books to children in orphanages. If such information isn’t present, it’s best not to include any additional information. 

Adhering to the instructions in this guide raises your chances of getting employed since you will provide exactly what the hiring manager desires. In conclusion, below are the key factors presented in this article:

• Employ the reverse-chronological format since it highlights your most noteworthy aspects first .
• Opt for a resume summary if you possess vast experience; use a resume objective if you don’t have much information on your career past. 
• Include metrics and accomplishments along with your experiences
• Only include additional sections when necessary .

If you find it difficult to create a resume with the information presented in this guide, we recommend making the process hassle-free with our free resume templates. It comes with all you need to complete this vital document in a few clicks.