Special ed diaries: Teachers tell NPR about their most joyous, most difficult moments

Bottom row (from left): Paul Stone of Mt. Diablo Unified School District in California, Diana Swanson of Vail School District in Arizona, Kathleen Tejeda of Alvord Unified School District in California and Emily Ellis of Lexington School District Two in South Carolina.'/>

What makes special education teaching jobs so hard to fill? NPR set out to find some answers by talking to more than a dozen teachers who do this work every day.

(Image credit: LA Johnson)