A SERT is a Special Education Resource Teacher, a teacher who both works with individual students with Exceptionalities, integrating them into mainstream classes, and also teaches a classroom full of students with exceptionalities.
She told us that she had her Spec-Ed I (which she said basically everyone needs these days) but that nothing prepared her for her current job more than her time EA-ing. She told us that her job had (and that of an EA) had an incredible turnover rate due to burnout.
Based on what she told us about her position, I'm not surprised.
During her classroom teaching, she has a class where every student has a specific IEP, and so she ends up doing a lesson plan for each student.
For. Each. Student.
That's a lot of time, and a ton of dedication. Her personality seemed to indicate she was more than game for it though, and I feel that fresh out of teacher's college, without many available jobs, and just wanting, begging to be able to do the thing we love, many of us will find ourselves in jobs similar to that of a SERT.
We will have the energy, the time, and the desire to make a difference, however, we will NOT have the experience.
I have a friend, whose mother was a teacher for over 30 years. She taught in the classroom in addition to working in student services, and in special education. In the last few years of her career, and for a few years after she worked exclusively in special education, using all of her years experience in teaching to give her students the best opportunity to succeed.
So, this begs the question, what is more effective, our youthful enthusiasm, or their years of experience?
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