26 Special Education Teacher Interview Questions & Answers

"My brother often has Autistic meltdowns as a result of anxiety. One time, he was on the verge of having a meltdown, beginning to lose control of his emotions. I calmly talked him through it, reminding him to breathe."

"I have a passion for what I do, and I am motivated. I care deeply about the students I work with and aim to help them achieve their goals. I feel their excitement when they master a new skill and their disappointment when they are struggling. I also have the ability to see past challenging behaviors."

"I am most attracted to working with students on the Autism Spectrum. I have always had a passion for working with individuals on the Autism Spectrum because they are unique and present different challenges. I have a brother diagnosed with Autism when I was in high school, which is another reason I am attracted to working with individuals on the spectrum."

"I have not personally created and maintained documentation on students, but during my student teaching experience, I became familiar with documenting information for IEP's through Enrich."

"From student teaching and being a former student in this school district, I see that your program is heavily focused on inclusion. I understand that your district is also heavily focused on building those important relationships with students. This is the reason I am drawn to your school district."

"My greatest role model has been my grandmother. She has always taught me to find what I'm passionate about and work towards a career in that area. She encourages me never to give up and is always there for advice when I need her."

"My passion for teaching came first from my brother when he was diagnosed with Autism. Seeing what he went through, I wanted to be the teacher that cared about these students. My passion for teaching also came from working at the daycare. I loved watching my student's eyes light up when they finally understood the lesson we were teaching."

"When my younger brother was diagnosed with Autism, I became interested in learning more about what Autism was, and this sparked my interest in special education."

"Working at the daycare, I show up for work when needed and do my job. If someone is out that day, and the daycare is short on staff, I am always willing to fill in, if I'm not in class. Even though I switched to working only in the summer and Christmas break, my director knows she can depend on me to come back and help her out when needed."

"I am motivated and passionate about this field of education. I have known I wanted to teach special education since I was in high school. I also have experience in education. Assisting in resources this year, I have gained practical experience teaching and providing documentation."

"An IEP lays out the goals and objectives for the student to achieve. Using information from parents and teachers, as well as testing data, it maps out student's areas of weakness and outlines goals for them to achieve to overcome these weaknesses. CSE is the initial evaluation step."

"I feel that my friends would describe me as passionate and persevering. They know that I went through a difficult time while I was going through college. About halfway through college, in 2016, I was diagnosed with a condition called Chiari Malformation, a condition where your cerebellum sits in the hole the spinal cord runs through, causing numerous issues. As a result of this, I underwent major surgery in the summer of 2016 and had to drop out of my summer classes I was enrolled in and only take two classes in the fall and spring semesters following surgery. My friends would say that I am persevering because I did not let my challenges stop me from achieving my dream of graduating."

"This school year, I had a student in my preschool self-contained class that gave both the lead classroom teacher and me a difficult time. This student would exhibit violent tendencies and was fixated on violence such as zombies and shooting. It became difficult to hold circle time or work on lessons with the students because we were constantly having to calm him down or stop him from harming himself or another student. It became frustrating dealing with this situation, but as the school year progressed, I learned about his home life and how difficult he had it at home. I learned that many times at home, instead of communicating, he was yelled at or argued with when he became difficult. On top of this and his communication issues, he had no outlet for his anger or how to communicate what he was feeling. I realized this and spent one on one moments with him, forming a relationship and helping him ease his frustration."

"I will be able to make a difference in student's lives. I want to be that person that advocates for them, that believes in them and knows they can do great things. Knowing that I can make a difference in someone's life, and use my own experiences to relate to them, motivates me."

"I believe the most important qualities are developing a relationship with your students. You want students to know that you care, and they are loved. Showing you care about their interests makes them feel they are important and makes them excited about school. Another quality would be advocating for students, especially in special education."

"I am great at building relationships with my students. I am very interested in getting to know my student's likes and dislikes and what motivates them. I feel that as a teacher, this is a must if you want students to feel comfortable in your class. Another strength is I am an advocate for my students. I stand up for them and defend them if needed, which is especially important as a special education teacher."

"I take a deep breath and pause for a second when I'm dealing with stress. If I can, I walk away for a few minutes to clear my head. If I can't take a break from the situation, I just remind myself to breathe and think about the overall picture and how everything will work out in the end. I had to do this many times during college."

"I didn't know much about Autism or special needs in general until I was in high school when my younger brother was diagnosed with Autism. I started reading about Autism, as well as other disabilities, which sparked an interest in me in Special Education."

"When I was a Freshman in high school, my brother was diagnosed with Autism. Until this moment, I had only heard of Autism once. I began reading about Autism and special education, and this fascinated me. By the time I was a Sophomore in high school, I knew I wanted to be a special education teacher."