Advocate

[Gammie02]

My daughter will be a first year sped teacher. I’m a veteran sped teacher. I went to an interview for and MSD job. Discussed all the ways I would work with the students and teach them. My daughter was called for a MSD position interview same school different position. They told her what they wanted a someone to show up everyday and have parent communication. She got the position. To me this is a downgrade to this population of students and their parents. How do you feel about the sped director saying this? 

[Lisa Lightner]

You're absolutely right to feel frustrated. What that director said is incredibly telling and concerning.

When a director frames the primary needs of an MSD (Moderate to Severe Disabilities) classroom as “showing up and communicating with parents,” it reveals how low their expectations are for both the students and the role of the teacher. Yes, reliability and communication are important; but those should be the minimum expectations for any teacher in any classroom, not the whole job description.

Students in MSD classrooms deserve instruction, support, progress, goals, and dignity. They deserve teachers who believe in their potential and are trained to support them. Reducing the job to just “be there and talk to parents” doesn’t just undersell the position, it underserves the students. And it sends the message that they aren’t worth the time or effort it takes to actually teach them.

It’s a red flag, not just about that director, but possibly about how the whole school or district views their high-needs population. I'd be asking follow-up questions, and if your daughter takes the job, document everything.