She is bright and capable but really struggled with classroom management. She just didn't have the ability to be as flexible as a classroom teacher needs to be. She wanted her kids to have a very time specific regimented routine and that's just not practical for young children. They are going to have days where they are off their routine. She needed a routine to be at HER best but not all days are like that in an elementary classroom. She just couldn't deal with it. Fortunately we had a wonderful principal and a good district mentoring program and she was encouraged to find a different teaching position that was a better fit for her. She became an ESL teacher who works in a resource room. It's a perfect job for her and she is one of the better ESL/resource teachers I have worked with.
Classroom management is critical for special ed. It goes way beyond understanding the children and the nature of their disabilities. You need to be on top of every aspect of that classroom at all times. You need to be an expert at customer service to deal with parents, many of whom are frustrated and yes, also disabled like their children. That's very hard for a lot of good teachers.
I have had many student teachers and the ones who struggled with classroom management were the ones I encouraged to not become special ed teachers.
We all don't find the perfect fit teaching position when we are in college. I wanted to be a high school teacher. I was advised to go into elementary education instead. It really hurt my feelings at the time but if I could go back and thank that adviser who told me to not teach high school, I would. He was right.
I honestly believe that everyone who really wants to teach can find that good fit. And every teaching experience, whether it's positive or not, is a valuable learning experience that shapes the teacher you will eventually become.
Good luck to you.
On edit - I deliberately didn't answer your question because I don't believe that filing a complaint of discrimination is a good way to start a teaching career. I'm not a lawyer so I can't say if you have a case or not. But I think you'd have a hard time finding a job with a lawsuit or complaint on your resume. No that is not fair and may even be illegal, but put yourself in the place of the HR director who has to decide whether to hire you. Just something to think about.
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