As a future Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teacher, or Special Ed. teacher as it is better known... I have a few problems with the stigma behind being an ESE teacher, the label of "special."

There are two types of reactions every current or future Exceptional Student Education teacher gets when they tell someone about their profession. There is the "wow! That is so wonderful of you, it takes a special person to do that, you must have a lot of patience!" reaction and there is the "Wow... why would you choose that? You're too smart to do that... and you will not make any money? Hopefully, you marry rich!" Both are equally annoying to every current or future ESE teacher.

So, let me just break this down for you right here and right now so you can avoid reacting this way when someone tells you they are or are becoming an ESE teacher. We understand that you are trying to be supportive and that you mean well, but please for the love of teaching... we cannot stand it when people react by telling us "it takes a special person" to teach students with exceptionalities. It is actually offensive to our students, who are not their own "separate population" that is difficult to deal with because they are a part of the human population. It may take patience and understanding, but we are not the "special" ones here for teaching these children because we may be making barely anything in salary, but the experiences we get in the classroom are incredible. Watching our students go from not talking or communicating to being able to communicate with us in some way shape or form... now that is the truest definition of special! I am not special for choosing to work with ESE students, it is simply that my heart and soul belong to this kind of classroom with these students.

And when it comes to money... clearly we are not in this field for the money, so what makes you think we care about that? We are doing this because we choose to love what we do and be happy in our profession, if we said we were in it for the money then that would just be a lie. Of course marrying rich would be nice, do not get me wrong, but life is about more than just what your bank account says and as educators, we know how to appreciate every little moment, success, and milestone.

There are few things that get on my nerves more than the label of "special". The social norm says that we are "special" because we chose to work with those with disabilities, and they call our students "special" because they require different needs or go through life differently than the "general population". But do you want to hear something mind blowing? These disabilities or exceptionalities are a part of the general population and they occur naturally in our species of mankind... the sooner we all begin to see this as normal rather than "different" or "special", the sooner our world will be all inclusive and celebrate these occurrences in our species.

I am a professional just as you, even if my profession is teaching ESE students. My students are children that come to school to obtain an education, just as every other student in America. So please, think before you speak next time and consider how labeling us and our students as "special" implies that we are "different" when all we are is a natural occurrence of nature, just as you yourself are.