The Many Faces of Special Educators

Bev Johns has been a special educator for over 35 years, is currently an instructor at MacMurray College, and a learning and behavior consultant. She is the author or co-author of 13 other books. Mary Z. McGrath was a special education teacher for a good share of her 31 years teaching in the Bloomington, MN public schools. Mary is now a professional speaker to teachers, parents and other groups. She is the author/coauthor of 7 other books. Sarup R. Mathur is a Clinical Professor and Cluster Chair of Special Education in the Division of Curriculum and Instruction at Arizona State University. She has 20 years of experience in research and programming for students with emotional and behavioral disorders and has co-authored and co-edited 8 books and has published more than 50 articles and chapters.

1 Foreward 2 Introduction 3 Myths about Special Educators 4 Tolerance 5 Empathy and Active Listening 6 The Ability to Build Relationships with Students 7 Recognition of Positive Actions 8 Addressing Discipline Challenges 9 Ability to Create Individualized Educational Plans 10 Ability to See Progress in Small Steps 11 Ability to Adapt 12 Ability to Focus on the Individual Needs of Others through Ongoing Assessment 13 Problem Solving 14 Collaboration 15 Advocacy and Empowerment 16 Family Support 17 Conclusion