I have been in special ed for over 30 years, although I am not a teacher. I do work directly with teachers.
• You need to tolerate doing paperwork- lots of it! You will need to brush up on those basic English skills.
• You need to deal with pushy parents, absent parents, parents who refuse to believe that their child is not perfectly normal…
• You need to be a team player.
• You need to face the reality that education is so low on the totem pole it’s buried, and you’ll never have all the resources you need.
• Depending on what field of special ed you go into, you may need to deal with being hit, bitten, scratched, spit upon, kicked or otherwise assaulted on a frequent basis, and also with kids who may have AIDS, Hep B, Hep C or other bloodborne pathogens. You may have to change diapers, clean up pee, and be exposed to snotty noses all day.
• You will never be paid what your education is worth. A software programmer fresh out of college may earn more than you ever will.
I presume you are fairly young. See if you can volunteer with a local program like Special Olympics where you can really see if you are cut out for special ed. It can be rewarding but it’s not all flowers and rainbows by any means.