Special EducationWhen I got into special education, I did not know what I was getting into; I only wanted to be a teacher to become a school principal. But now, I cannot imagine myself in any place besides the classroom, especially with students, who are often misunderstood and labeled lazy and troublemakers. Special education teachers must accomplish a million tasks as part of their Case Management and Specialized Academics Instruction positions, the most important being creating a safe learning environment and developing their self-efficacy skills. My role as a special education teacher is to ensure my students become independent learners who can motivate themselves and become engaged learners.Teacher LeadershipI would love to remain in the classroom forever, but let's be honest: to make a change and truly help all of the special education students in my district, I must be willing to leave. I have played a crucial role in developing my school's special education team for the past three years. I would like to continue its development by creating procedures and systems until the team can manage itself without my help. After a small break from teacher leadership, I am returning stronger as my colleagues have stepped up and taken on some of the responsibilities I once held. Aside from creating standard procedures for special education tasks in my school, I will now focus on mentorship, training, and collaboration of paraprofessionals, general education, and special education teachers.