SpEd13

I'm excited for you. You sound like you have it all in order. Good luck!!

Hi, Johns672! You sound like an ideal candidate for an initial certification masters program in special education. I completed a program like this and really enjoyed it. I came from a mental health background. Anyway, I encourage you to go for it but please be cautioned that it is a very tough field and the burnout rate is extremely high. The legalities in special education are not something they teach in the universities. Attorneys regularly attend my IEP meetings. You must be confident in your abilities and be able to advocate for your students. Also, depending on the class you teach (I teach severely disabled students), you have to be prepared for snot, poop, drool, diapers, catheters, seizures, giving up your lunch period every day to unpack everyone's lunches and open all their milk cartons and feed students who cannot feed themselves, dressing students, etc.... it could be a kindergarten or a high school student. You must be extremely creative to modify a standard curriculum and learn to handle to meltdowns of individual students and possibly become certified to properly restrain them if needed. If you choose to teach resource students you have to have a lot of patience and skill to help them master those pesky standardized tests so they can achieve a regular high school diploma vs. a special education diploma. Or, you could end up co-teaching in an inclusion classroom. Some states have programs where they will pay for you to become certified in special education since it is a high-need teaching field. If you decided not to do a masters to could do a post-bac teaching certification program. Be sure to check around for programs like these! I began teaching on an alternative license before I even had my first masters class, though I did have a masters in a related area and had been working with the same student population in a different setting. It can be scary but you will figure it out real fast... or else the kids will eat you alive! j/k Shadowing a special education teacher in a few different settings would be very helpful for you. If you find that it is your calling, good luck!!! There is never a lack of excitement in a special education classroom.

I finally got in touch- no one in my division of the program I appied for has been notified yet but will be notified next week.

Help! I still haven't heard anything! Nothing. I emailed and got no response. What should I do? Advice?

Still waiting, too, IdlerWheel... saw some PhD admits on the board... it's coming soon I'm sure!

I am still waiting....

This is all I know of, but I am sure there are private organizations that may fit what you are looking for. http://www.finaid.org/military/veterans.phtml Sometimes there are scholarships for students with specific disabilities, so you may want to do a very specific google search. Hope this helps!

I am sill waiting, too.... Congrats to all those with acceptances so far!!

Congrats on your acceptance!! That is awesome! I am still waiting to hear back, and I'm excited that there is now a Peabody thread to follow!

Re: Vanderbilt... Bummer I just want to hear SOMETHING, good or bad. I've been so confused because the professor I talked to in my program area told me there is not an interview process. I was also told this by admissions during an admission chat. When I saw a Special Education Ph.D. applicant post in the results section that they were invited to an interview and my stomach dropped out of my body! I only hope it wasn't the same program area I applied to. I wish you the best! Vanderbilt was the only place that I applied since I live in Nashville and have a family. My spouse said I should try there first, and if it doesn't happen then we will look at applying other places and potentially moving next year... fingers crossed I don't have to sell my house and move! I couldn't imagine moving out of the country!

Ahhh... I did as well. Have you heard from Vanderbilt yet? Nothing on my end. I hope it's not a big, fat, N-O.