Special Education Teacher Resume Examples

Need help writing your resume? We’re here to help with our collection of Special Education Teacher resume examples you can easily edit for your job search.

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LiveCareer Staff Writer
by LiveCareer Staff Writer
Last Updated: November 02, 2023 
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Special Education Teacher resume
summary examples

Did you know a recruiter spends an average of seven seconds scanning your resume?

You’ll have to grab their attention quickly when your resume lands in their hands, and the best way to do that is with a resume summary.

This resume introduction consists of two to three sentences summarizing the skills, qualifications and experiences that best show you’re perfect for the job.

Experienced applicants should opt for the professional summary. However, if you’re an inexperienced candidate applying for an entry-level position, you will benefit more from an objective statement.

You can list your most job-relevant skills with a resume objective and explain how they’ll help you achieve your professional goals.

Check out the following examples to determine which approach is right for you.

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Good example:

“ An experienced Special Education Teacher with a proven track record of successfully supporting students with learning disabilities to reach their academic goals. Skilled in designing individualized lesson plans and providing a safe and supportive learning environment. Passionate about fostering a positive learning experience and helping students reach their full potential.”

Why this example passes:

  • Feature candidate’s success statistic to grab attention. Numbers add detail about how big the results you deliver are, e.g., test scores, passing rate and more.
  • Shows career length, 11 years.
  • Mentions employer-desired skills: student motivation and interactive lessons.
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Bad example:

“ I am a dedicated Special Education Teacher with years of experience. I have a passion for helping students learn and reach their potential. I have the necessary skills to be successful in this role.”

Why this example fails:

  • Doesn’t include any numbers that quantify special education teacher’s performance
  • Uses vague descriptions and skills.
  • Doesn’t include years of teaching experience.

The fastest way to write your
professional summary

If you want an edge writing to help write your professional summary, check out our Resume Builder. It features pre-written content for Special Education Teacher roles that you can select from, personalize and use!

  • 1

    Enter the details about the job title you held. The builder comes preloaded with auto-suggested phrasing written by resume experts.

  • 2

    Then, just pick from these suggested phrases that best frame your experience and customize them to your liking!

  • 3

    All you have to do is choose the summary phrases that best frame your experience. It’s like having a professional do it for you!

Our Builder is the quickest and easiest tool for writing a stellar Special Education Teacher resume. However, you can also dive deeper with our professional resume-writing services. Take advantage of all the tools LiveCareer offers and start landing interviews!

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Special Education Teacher resume work
experience examples

The most crucial part of a Special Education Teacher resume is the work experience section. You’ll need to share a list of your previous roles, unique skills and the specific tasks you accomplished in each one if you want to write a good resume. The following examples will show you what to do and what to avoid when writing your resume’s work experience.

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Good example:

Rolling Meadows Middle School I Rolling Meadows, IL I 8/2018-current

  • Developed and implemented individualized education plans for special needs students
  • Collaborated with parents, teachers, and administrators to ensure successful student outcomes
  • Facilitated group activities to help students develop social and communication skills
  • Provided positive reinforcement and guidance to help students build self-confidence and self-esteem.

Why this example passes:

  • Numbers and statistics add detail and quantify the results this special education teacher delivers: 4% improvement and a class size of 20-25.
  • Good use of strong words and active language.
  • References specialized value cahier provides with “individualized lesson plans.”
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Bad example:

Emily Dickinson Elementary I Redmond, WA I 4/2022-present

  • Taught students with special needs in a classroom setting
  • Developed lesson plans for students with disabilities
  • Monitored student progress
  • Supervised students in the classroom

Why this example fails:

  • Lacks numbers or statistics.
  • Describes general tasks, not teaching achievements or career highlights.
  • Uses active verbs, but doesn’t focus on results.

Special Education Teacher resume skills examples

Here are 18 sample skills for special education teacher:

  • Cognitive and behavioral development
  • Motivating students
  • Small Group Instruction
  • Group and individual instruction
  • Elementary-Type 03, Current
  • TYPE 39 Substitute 90-Days Teaching Certificate
  • Elementary Education
  • Special Education
  • Post-secondary education
  • Secondary Education
  • Middle school education
  • Behavior Modification
  • Lesson Planning
  • Classroom Management
  • Team Collaboration
  • Differentiated Instruction
  • Data Management
  • Relationship Building

You should sprinkle skills and abilities throughout your resume. Include them in your professional summary, work experience blurbs and a dedicated skills section.

Examples of additional resume sections

Your Special Education Teacher resume must include five main sections: contact information, professional summary, work experience, skills and education. However, you can continue customizing your resume with additional sections for any other qualifications you possess.

Here are some examples of optional special education teacher resume sections that you could add to provide greater detail:

  • References
  • Certifications
  • Additional skills
  • Professional skills
  • Soft skills
  • Photo
  • Overview
  • Accomplishments

Only include additional sections that feature valuable information for your desired Special Education Teacher job. If the information you want to add is irrelevant to the job, save that space for more relevant information.

Examples of resume formats

The way you organize your Special Education Teacher resume is called a resume format. There are three main resume formats: chronological, functional and combination. Here are examples of each:

The main difference among them is whether or not they give more visual weight to your work history or to your skills section. The format you should select for your resume is based on your years of work experience as a special education teacher.

How to choose a resume format

0-3
Years of experience

Functional formats

  • Focus on skills.
  • Best for first-time special education teacher who lack work experience.
  • Good for people re-entering workforce.
  • May omit dates in the work history section.
Organization:
  • Skills listed above work experience.

3-10
Years of experience

Combination formats

  • Balance skills and work history.
  • Ideal for mid-career special education teacher.
  • Suitable for career changers and people seeking promotion.
Organization:
  • Skills next to or above work experience.

10+
Years of experience

Chronological formats

  • Put the most focus on work history.
  • Best for special education teacher with a long, steady career.
  • Most popular format.
  • Preferred by recruiters.
Organization:
  • Work experience listed above skills.
Once you know the best format for you, it’s easy to pick a special education teacher resume template. Templates are preformatted layouts created by design professionals to ensure your resume looks amazing!

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