Some may wonder how or why people choose this career path, and the answers may vary. Working in a special needs field requires a lot of patience, understanding, and determination. Mr. McMahan has been a special needs teacher for about 7 years. “I worked with adults with disabilities first, but I feel like teens are much better served in public school settings.” 

Students with special needs have a bit of a reputation. Most are sometimes seen as “less than” or “too different to fit in” but as we all should know, that’s not true. While interviewing Mr. McMahan, we asked him to help us and others understand what separates students with special needs from students without. His response was: “They need to work on their study skills and organization overall.” Which honestly does not separate them drastically from others.

“I would not change my career path because I enjoy making a difference in kids,” said McMahan. Working with students with special needs does not mean “tolerating” them. There is so much more to it. These kids want to be successful, and with the help of amazing teachers and instructors they get to do so.