CCSD says it always needs to hire teachers. This year, the district is lucky because the need is almost 1,000 less than in years past. But special education teachers are in the greatest demand yet the least in supply.
"You guys show me which sound you made." It's those sounds that changed Lisa Guidry's mind about special education.
"I think people just don't understand what goes on in a special education classroom. They get influenced by what you call wives' tales -- 'Oh it's so hard, oh there's so much paperwork' -- and that's just not the case," said Guidry.
But the case is dire. CCSD needs 220 special education teachers. That's more than four times the need for any other type of teacher.
"I think teachers or people who aspire to be teachers have the wrong conception about Special Ed. They think it is a place for kids that can't learn or don't want to learn," said Kendel Chrysler, a Special Education student teacher.
Guidry says 80-percent of learning disabilities are reading disabilities. But there are a few young men and women, like Kendel Chrysler, who feel Special Ed is their calling.
"All we can do is teach, do what we love everyday. Wake up in the morning and feeling positive about what I do and come here and make some kids feel positive about themselves. It's as rewarding as possible," said Chrysler.
Like most large school districts, CCSD will lose half of its new teachers within their first five years. The National Education Association predicts Southern Nevada will need two million more teachers in the next 10 years.
Email your comments to Reporter Calvert Collins.
