Allisence: Managing for Dummies

In 1991, Dan Gookin might have been the most ingenious dummy on Earth. Ingenious because he authored the first in a series of more than 1,600 books (take that, J.K. Rowling!). And a dummy because he dared to call pretty much everyone who can read the English language . . . a dummy.

And yet he got away with it. Why? Because his book, DOS for Dummies, explained to “the rest of us” what DOS is. I, for one, have not read this book, so I am still unable to call myself an enlightened DOS dummy. However, there is one For Dummies book that I could really use right about now: Managing for Dummies.

Pretty much every single class I’ve taken thus far in my masters and certification program has talked about how to collaborate with paraprofessionals, how to incorporate them in instruction, and how to create a classroom culture that embraces the strengths of all its members. I heard the same things so many times that it became quite ingrained, but none of it really hit me until I started teaching this year.

I have been blessed with two full-time aides, even though I only have four students who either stay in my self-contained classroom all day long or float between mine and another classroom. My biggest challenge, however, is that I’m the world’s biggest dummy when it comes to managing adults. I’m just one of those people who are perfectly content being on the bottom of the totem pole.

It’s a serious challenge for me to know how to appropriately ask someone else to do something, even when it’s for the benefit of our students. I’m also struggling walking the tight rope between a natural desire to be friends with people I work with and the undeniable fact that I’m the teacher-of-record in the classroom.

I know my aides and I have to work as a team in order to best serve our students. They are both incredibly hard-working and talented women. They also supported two of the students in the class last year and therefore offer a wealth of knowledge. I definitely want to tap into that, but I have no idea how to best go about it.

One thing I have done to help us be more efficient with our time is creating individualized schedules. Late one night, I sat down and came up with schedules for each of my aides so it was very clear that, for example, during literacy centers each of them would be working one-on-one with a student and that during sensory art time, they would be free to work on a list of projects that would benefit the classroom — some urgent, some not so much.

This new system of mine has only been in place for a couple of days and seems to be going relatively well, but I’m hoping all you readers out there can offer up some more advice. I am all ears!

Otherwise, I’ll really have to go and read Managing for Dummies.

Comments

[allisence]

@Jesse James — I can see how putting paras with students based on strengths is a great idea. Last year, I know they did this in the classroom, but it ended up with students this year having a very hard time generalizing the skills they learned. One student only likes to read with the one para he spent the majority of his literacy center time with last year. I'm hoping to implement what you're saying, but definitely still mix up the schedules a bit to make sure students are reading/doing math with all the different adults in the room!

@Kayla and @Laura — Thanks for the advice on scheduled staffing meetings. I'll definitely be implementing those.

@Alyssa — Thanks for the suggestions and encouragement. I really appreciate it!

[Jesse James]

I currently work with four paraprofessionals who are amazing at working with the students in our classroom. The biggest challenge that we encountered when it came to creating schedules was being sure that we created variety for the paras. I have found that by finding para's strengths, you are able to put them with students who will benefit the most from them. The issue that arises is the paras burning out from doing the same routine day in and day out. Because of this we made sure that the paras have a mixed schedule so that they are with different students at different times of the day. This is not only good for the paras, but it gives the students a variety as well.

[Alyssa]

I agree that you need paraprofessional input on knowledge about students. I have experience working in group homes, and hate that decisions regarding our clients have always been made without taking in any input from the people that work directly day to day with the individual. The more people provide input, the more information you may gain, and the more brain power you have behind assisting the student. In school you learn that students behave better in a classroom where they were involved in the process of making classroom rules as it gives them a sense of ownership. I think the same could work with managing paras. Let them make suggestions and share ideas to help create a positive atmosphere where everyone is respected and develop a sense of open communication. It's not always easy, but you'll never know what you can actually do until you try!

[Kayla]

I think you definitely need to tap into that prior knowledge that your paraprofessionals have about the students they have worked with in the past. I think its very beneficial if you have 10-15 minutes scheduled at the end of the week to talk about what went well, what didn't, and what you could do differently. This gives the paraprofessionals a safe place and an appropriate time for them to share their knowledge of the students. Also, make it clear to your paras that they can see you before or after school if something isn't working and it can't wait until your scheduled meeting. I think its great for the paraprofessionals to feel like their knowledge is valued and be heard. In the end, you still make the curriculum decisions, but you are valuing your co-workers too.

[Laura]

I started staffing schedules this year as well. It has also helped to have a meeting once a week, even if it is just for a few minutes. Talk about what is working, what your expectations are, etc.