Special Education Teacher

At Heartland Family Service, we are committed to building a culture that is trauma informed and values and celebrates diversity and inclusion. We believe this allows for better service delivery and innovation, as it encourages our employees to bring various experiences and uniqueness to the workplace.

Trauma Informed Care is an approach to engaging people with histories of trauma that recognizes the presence of trauma symptoms and acknowledges the role that trauma has played in their lives. Trauma Informed Care also acknowledges the effects of working with trauma survivors on our workforce and seeks to build collaborative and supportive working environments and relationships.

If you believe in our mission of creating healthy families and communities, and like a fast pace, collaborative and team-oriented environment, then Heartland Family Service is the agency for you.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF WORK

Responsible for instruction and planning and/or adaptation of the education program to enable special education students to benefit from educational experiences.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• *Instructs individuals and groups in special education skill areas daily.
• *Plans curriculum, lessons, and special education programs and teaching methods daily as needed.
• * Prepares report cards, educational records, classroom observation records, MDT Data Wall tracking, monthly PBIS punch cards, update and/or create FBA and BIP’s and other forms as required.
• *Evaluates student progress based on papers submitted, test scores and observation as required.
• *Provides direct supervision, observation and coaching for the Support Coaches in the classroom
• *Monitors student progress in and outside special education room daily as needed.
• *Maintains contact with individuals involved in the students’ care.
• *Evaluates student progress based on work output and observation, determines goals, objectives and directions daily as needed.
• *Creates Nebraska IEP’s for out of state students, schedules IEP meetings and attends meetings with student, staff, parents and other community support members to evaluate student needs and progress, such as family team meetings, IEP meetings, parent/teacher conferences, etc.
• Assists in the development of strategies that complement the efforts of general education teachers for inclusionary settings.
• Diagnoses and assesses student strengths and needs, as well as conducts state testing and WRAT testing for students.
• *Responsible for planning and facilitating monthly PBIS celebrations for students, as well as classroom incentives, such as token economy system and others as appropriate
• Translates lesson plans into developmentally appropriate learning experiences daily.
• Employs a variety of instructional techniques and instructional media, consistent with the physical limitations of the location provided and the needs and capabilities of the individuals or student groups involved.
• Takes all necessary and reasonable precautions to protect students, equipment, materials and facilities daily.
• Identifies pupil needs and makes appropriate referrals and assists in developing strategies for individual education plans daily as needed.
• Communicates regularly with parents outside of the normal classroom day by various means such as newsletters, notes, phone calls, conferences, etc. daily as needed.
• *Is dependable and punctual regarding scheduling and attendance.
• Displays a courteous and caring attitude at all times to the clientele, volunteers, and visitors of the Agency.
• Cooperates and collaborates with program area staff, volunteers, and other Agency staff.
• Abides by all specific program and Agency procedures, policies, and requirements.
• Attends and completes agency trainings and develops personal and program related skills through participation in internal and external training opportunities including printed material and audio and/or visual media.
• *Creates, maintains and shares as appropriate a dynamic self-care plan.
• * Strives to make connections between the agency and the larger community whenever possible in order to contribute to the agency’s ongoing fundraising and friend-raising efforts.
• * Essential functions of this job is to be performed on company physical work site
• Performs other program related duties as assigned.

*DENOTES ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree in Education from 4-year accredited college or university
• Valid Nebraska teaching license with endorsement in special education or current provisional special education certificate
• Valid driver’s license, acceptable driving record
• Two years of experience working with youth involved in the Child Welfare System (delinquent youth, status offenders, etc.) required

COMPETENCIES

Organization - The confidence of students should stem from the structure of an orderly atmosphere provided by the teacher. In addition to classroom organization, special education teachers should have organized record-keeping skills.

Intuitive - Some children may find difficulty in properly expressing what they are feeling, due to their communication skill level. They may act out or withdraw because they are feeling confused, frustrated, or even overwhelmed. A special education teacher needs to have intuitive skills to sense underlying issues behind a child’s behavior, along with helping them as situations occur.

Stress Tolerance - Performing well when faced with pressure due to time frame, workload, adversity, disappointment, or opposition. Maintaining a calm atmosphere in the classroom.

Adaptability - A teacher has to be able to maintain order, keep to a schedule, and be flexible as all of these situations may arise. Modeling adaptability is important because children with special needs often need to learn how to adapt to their surroundings based on their disability.

Professionalism - having clear boundaries with employees and clients and displaying professional behavior.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITY SPECIFICATIONS

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

(The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions).

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

(Work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions).

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is not exposed to weather conditions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.