Special Education Teacher Resume Examples [+ Objective]

You’re a top-notch special education teacher and you know it, but they don’t—yet. Convince them fast and stand out with this solid sample special education teacher resume.

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I get it—you’re a busy person.

On top of your classroom duties, you’ve got tons of paperwork to do. Progress reports, tests, exams.

But your special education work is more than that. You care about your pupils. You help them explore the world and overcome learning challenges. You hope to make a difference in their lives.

But to get that chance of making an impact, you need a good work environment. One that not only understands the students’ needs, but also has the teachers’ back.

Unfortunately, not all schools are like that. And you need to really prove you’re the best candidate out there to land a job at one of the good ones.

Toss the paperwork aside for now. It’s time to focus on your special education teacher resume.

This guide will show you:

A special education teacher resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
How to write a special education teacher resume that will land you more interviews.
Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a special education teacher resume.
How to describe your experience on a resume for a special education teacher to get any job you want.

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special education teacher resume templates

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Sample Special Education Teacher Resume Template

Christina Turner

[email protected]

534-275-8936

Professional Summary

Licensed special education teacher with 5+ years of experience and skills developing and implementing robust teaching programs. Seeking position at Billeus County Public Schools. At Corrus County Public Schools, taught classes of 15+ special education students. Raised test scores 25% through better lesson plan development. Trained 3 other teachers in advanced special education techniques.

Work Experience

Special Education Teacher

Corrus County Public Schools

September 2014–March 2019

Taught classes of 15+ special education students full time for 5+ years.
Developed new research-based teaching strategies, raising student engagement 30%.
Raised student test scores in Math and English 25% through creating new, student-interest-centered lesson plans.
Collaborated with parents, teachers, and school administrators to address educational and disciplinary problems. Lowered disciplinary incidents by 28%.
Integrated technology into the classroom to remove 8 hours per week of time previously spent on paperwork and redundant tasks.

Education

2010–2014 Bluefield College

Bachelor’s Degree in Education with Teaching Certificate

Dean’s List every semester.
Wrote a monthly column in the school paper on special needs children.

Skills

Soft skills: organization, communication, interpersonal skills, and creativity. Very detail-oriented.
Hard skills: Functional and Life Skills Curriculum, working with autistic children, physical and mental disabilities, and speech and hearing impairments.

Certification

State of Virginia Teacher Certification (Current)

Activities

Volunteer cook and server 2x per month at Fore Street Soup Kitchen.

Teach yoga classes 2x per week for self-care.

Here’s how to write a job-winning special education teacher resume:

1. Choose the Best Format for Your Special Education Teacher Resume

Organization. Attention to detail. Your job is to tame the chaos. Your special education teacher resume must prove you can. Use these simple formatting rules to do it:

Put the right contact details in your resume header.
Use the chronological resume template. It’s the best of the three resume formats because it puts your most recent “wins” up top.
Use the best resume fonts and enough white space to stand out.
Not sure if a PDF or Word resume is better? Use a PDF unless the school’s job ad says not to.

Pro Tip: How long should your resume be? Unless you’ve got file cabinets full of eye-popping special education accomplishments, keep it to one page.

2. Write a Special Education Teacher Resume Objective or Resume Summary

How can you grab them fast?

Use a resume profile. Done right, it makes the hiring manager keep reading.

Make it a career summary if you have 2+ years of experience. Write 3–4 sentences and add your best few special education achievements.

Make it a career objective if you're entry-level or a career-switcher. Focus on your skills, and add transferable achievements from other jobs.

Pro Tip: Don’t write your special education teacher resume profile first. Do it last. That way you can pick the best bits from your full-length resume and writing will be easy.

3. Create the Perfect Special Education Teacher Job Description for Your Resume

To get them to hire you, show them you’ve already done the job.

That means:

Match your special education teacher resume work experience section to the job description in the ad.

Start with your last job and work backwards.
For each position, list your job title, company name, and employment dates.
List 3–5 bullet points per job. Cram them with special education duties, responsibilities, and accomplishments.
Tailor your resume. That means your achievements should prove skills from the job ad.
Avoid “responsible for.” Use action verbs instead.
Pep up your accomplishments with numbers that show their size.

Pro Tip: Talk to other teachers at the school to get a sense of key skills for the role. What challenges does the department face? Use achievements to show you’ll solve them.

4. Write a Smart Special Education Teacher Resume Education Section

Of course you must show education in a special education teacher resume. But—

There’s a right way and a wrong way.

The right way is to add more proof you’ve got the teaching skills they need:

List school accomplishments that prove special education teacher skills.
If you’re new, make your resume education section longer to include more “wins.”
Add a subsection for your professional certifications.

Pro Tip: Should you show your GPA? If it’s shockingly high or recent, yes. Otherwise, use the space for something more eye-catching.

5. Highlight Your Special Education Teacher Skills

Use this list of special education teacher resume skills to customize your resume:

Special Education Teacher Resume Skills

Hard Skills:

Creating lesson plans
Medical aspects of disabilities
Education technology
Google Drive
Student assessment
Monitoring student progress
Creating and maintaining a positive classroom environment
Special education instructional equipment
Microsoft Office

Soft Skills:

Written and verbal communication
Interpersonal skills
Presentation
Collaboration
Organization
Attention to Detail
Dependability

Focus on the skills this special education teacher job wants. Don’t slap in just any old skill and call it good.

To do it right:

Read the job posting. What skills do they mention?
Include a mix of your professional skills by listing soft and hard skills.
For each skill you list, prove it with a key accomplishment.

Pro Tip: Are you writing an entry-level special education teacher resume? Pack it with achievements from other jobs that show transferable skills.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Add Other Sections to Your Special Education Teacher Resume

Have you figured it out yet?

To write a good special education teacher resume—

List lots of great achievements that prove skills.

To stack the deck in your favor, add more sections and more bullets.

You can add:

7. Attach a Cover Letter to Your Special Education Teacher Resume

“I never send cover letters.”

Says nobody who got the job.

You need a cover letter. Most hiring managers like them—

As long as they’re not generic.

Follow our quick tips to do it fast:

Pick the best cover letter format for your situation.
Start your cover letter with a bang.
Show your passion.
End your cover letter with a call to action.

Pro Tip: After you send your special education teacher resume and cover letter, send a follow up email. That little nudge can be the tipping point that gets the job.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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That’s it!

That’s how to write a resume for special education teacher positions.

Got thoughts on how to write a great professional special education teacher resume? Need more help? Give us a shout in the comments. We’d love to talk!

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