i am working on a design Challenge that will help to create a better system of communicating from admin and teacher to paraeducator, so that reactive decisions pale compared to reflective ones, for the success of every special needs student.
Teachers "co-teach" with other licensed teachers. The paraeducator name evolved from a series of politically correct sentiments, at least in the US. It was "aide," then "assistant," and now "parapro," short for "paraprofessional." The name changed, but the salaries remain well below licensed teacher salaries.
I was privileged to work in a district in which the administration made sure that the assistants got the same training that teachers got. That doesn't happen often, because it requires paying the assistants to attend the professional development events. If your assistant has about the same skills and teaching approach that you have, s/he can take half the class and deliver the lesson. If this assistant has few skills, ask them to complete the tasks that you know they can do competently.
Special needs children should have the most highly trained and dedicated licensed teachers in order to insure that they are working to their maximum abilities.
I AGREE WITH Virginia Nelson
I am a paraeducator also, I work with a special ed teacher and 12 students. Many teachers do not know how to use a paraeducator, they think of us only as their personal assistant. Some of us are just as educated as the teachers are maybe even more, we are just not credentialed. We should actually be able to take groups along with the teacher and work along with them to support them and the students. Just as Virginia mentioned the paraeducators needs to be highly trained and the Teacher should be dedicated. If you are interested I wrote a paper on the use of a paraeducator.
Tassie, yes I am interested in your research, especially portions that deal with when and how info is shared with paras. Do we get info only when there is a lawsuit, or are we a part of the reflective planning for students in general.
My understanding of the role of a paraeducator is that it is the same as a teacher's assistant or as a tutor "under training". For this job to be done properly, the administration ought to list such a person in the payroll, to follow his/her progress, and to give him/her priority in scholarships for higher study.
The paraeducator must have a sincere desire to learn from an experienced teacher. In the near past, I welcomed the presence of some of my new colleagues in my theoretical & practical lectures including a lady who was at the age of my mother. The young generations, now, think that they are knowledgeable enough!
The teacher will sit down with the paraeducator after few lessons to reveal why this or that was done. This assistant will be trained to give some lessons in the presence of the teacher; I encouraged one of my assistants to do that in the laboratory occasionally & he, later on, became a very good teacher.
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