Anyone ever get burned out after only 3 years? My first year was awesome. 2nd year, covid hit. This year, my schedule has had to change 3 times so far. I have the largest caseload in my school. I feel that I'm not good enough. Got thrown under the bus today. Just had a no good, horrible kind of day.

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Awesome will return. Weather the storm. As time goes on you develop coping mechanisms that make even the toughest days bearable.

What’s funny to me is that most of the world has no idea how difficult our job is. Hang tough and list the pro’s and con’s of the job. Include health benefits, pension, 180 days, a 6 hour day, working with kids and you’ll find your answers. It’s not for everybody but it may be for you. Never evaluate anything when you’re either too happy or too unhappy about something.

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All public school special education jobs start with the district grateful to have the special Ed teacher. Through year one and two a slow process starts whereby the district begins to pressure the special Ed teacher to make their classroom and students just like the general Ed classroom. This pressure builds until the special Ed teacher moves on.
The district with little to no understanding of special Ed wants the special Ed students to perform like all the other students. If the special ed teacher goes to another district the process/cycle begins again. If the special Ed teacher leaves the profession they are truly wiser than the stubborn fools left behind:)

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Special Ed teachers are burn out their first few months of the school year. They get burn out quicker than the Gen Ed teachers because of the paperwork, meetings, MDRs, IEP writing throughout the school year, and deadlines.

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Yes, I'm burned out. After 17 years in special education, I'm making this year my last year. It's just become too much to handle on so many levels. I'm grateful that my wife and I (she's also a sped teacher) started saving a bunch of money every month for the last decade or so, putting us in a position where we can both retire early. She wants to keep working for a few more years and get a full retirement pension at the 30-year mark, but I just can't do it anymore. Over the years, I have seen (at least in this district) a shift more towards generating funds for the program (which has not turned into hiring aides or reducing my caseload of almost 40 students) rather than helping struggling students. So I'm taking down my shingle.

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I'm in my 21st year of teaching with 18 in special education. I agree with the comment to weather the storm. I've had some awesome years with terrific kids and administrators, then crappy years, then back to understanding from admin. and supportive parents. COVID times are going to be the times I may try to forget because it's not the normal way of doing things for any teacher or school district.
BUT you are very early in your career and it is easier to change in the next couple years then when you've got 10 years vested in teaching and your pension when it makes it much harder to turn away. Maybe even changing school districts would be better for your mental health.
Take care of yourself!!! Admin may keep saying it, but rarely have the capabilities in this day and age of providing resources and adhering to contractual prep times and class sizes. It's the same everywhere now. I know it keeps getting said, but hopefully next year will be better.

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I started teaching SPED when I was 47. I'm still teaching SPED and I turn 65 at the end of the month. Up until COVID, I thought I'd be able to teach until I'm 70, but now I'm wondering if I'll be able to stick it out for the 2.5 years I need for my full pension. When you stick with it a while, you find ways to make some aspects of your job easier and focus on what you enjoy, such as your students.

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I got burned out my first year. I wouldn't beat myself up over it tbh!

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I have been a special education teacher for 28 years. Even as I write that down, I can hardly believe it. It has at times been the most grueling, difficult exhausting job in the world. At other times, it has been the most rewarding, fulfilling, amazing job in the world. It's a roller coaster. And even when it was fantastic, there was always the bad. I had a micromanaging principal one of my best "will go down in the record books" years. She did everything in the world to try to make me miserable. I refused. One year, I had 41 on my caseload. You read that right...41 Every year is a new adventure. Just as I have really gotten a rhythm going in my resource science high school classes, my state decides that students who get a diploma need to be in Gen.Ed classes. No more resource classes in high school here. I will no longer have my own classroom. I could be devastated. But, I think of the students and what I'm here for, and I press on.

The job is hard, but it gets easier as you do it longer. To judge any teaching job from what has gone on the last few years is just not realistic. Things will get better. These students need teachers who care like you. Hang in there.

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Same here. 4 years in and thinking about going back to a corporate job.

Where are you working?

Sending you good vibes, smiles and appreciation for all you do for our hard to reach, hard to teach kiddos! Hang in there! We appreciate you. They need you. In our profession, we dig through a ton of boulders just to find the one dime size nugget of gold. You got this!

If your schedule has only changed 3 times up to this point, count your blessings! Seriously, no idea how many schedule changes I've had. Some years you have more than others. Maybe that's a byproduct of a district with a high level of transitory students.

4th year and been passed up for a gen Ed position a couple of times. It’s nothing like they tell you during your alt cert. it’s not all rainbows and grateful cards, it’s constant litigation and why aren’t your scores/growth as good as this teacher with all honors classes? If I have to hear “it’s for the kids” one more flipping time, I’m drinking drano

As a sped teacher, I completely understand. It makes you reconsider everything...

It’s such a hard job physically, and emotionally. If you can get some support or relief, please consider hanging in there. Our neediest kiddos need YOU! There is a change that happens around the 5 year mark whereby the job gets “better”, but it’s never easy. Best to you and thank you for your service!!!

You are not alone. I left after 2 years. I am taking a break and may be going back if I can have a district that has good support

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