A school cannot operate fully without its specialist and supporting teachers. They are not additional or extra teachers. I once heard someone say they are the essential teachers in the school, and from personal experience, I know this to be true. These educators provided me with a safe haven to explore my own identity and talents in ways that would not have been possible otherwise. They saw potential where others might have seen distraction, and they nurtured gifts that academic subjects alone could not reveal.
When budgets tighten and funding shrinks, specialist and supporting programs that disappear first. We treat them as expendable when they are actually irreplaceable. These are the spaces where learners express themselves most authentically, where they discover passions that will shape their futures, and where they learn that their unique gifts have value and purpose.
As a coordinator, I struggled like many others to support these teachers equitably. All the emphasis was placed on homeroom teachers, and I found myself caught in a system that undervalued what I knew to be essential. This remains one of my biggest regrets from my time in that role. I should have advocated more fiercely. I should have fought harder for the recognition these educators deserved. To pay it forward, I want us to rethink the role of specialist and supporting teachers and recognize how they bring learning to life in our schools.
In this section, we will focus on the heart of your role and how to make it more learner centered. Throughout other areas of this website, you will find resources that demonstrate particular ideas, such as inquiry in the PE classroom. I am excited to partner with amazing educators from around the world to make this vision a reality. Together, we can change how these essential teachers are seen, supported, and celebrated.
Blogs
Books
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Guides
Podcast
Videos
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A day in the life of a Special Education teacher
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What's it like to be a reading intervention specialist?
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Intro to Fitness -
Inquiry in PE |
Art teacher uses innovative ways to teach children
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