Jerry: (Para) Professionals, Part Two

When I was student teaching, I had to learn the hard way that being a teacher in a special education classroom involves more than knowing good ABA or PBIS or RTI or any of the other million and one interventions we have at our disposal each day. It also means being a manager of people and learning how to get those people to work in a way that ultimately benefits the students, and to work with the teacher to create an environment where education can happen.

Two experiences really brought the issue of the paraprofessional to the forefront of my thinking so that even now I tend to obsess about it to the point that, maybe in the future, I can conduct some research and begin to offer ways to make that job a rewarding career for some folks.

The first issue was in my first setting—a resource room for EBD students in an elementary school. It was a small thing, to be sure, but one day a student asked me for some candy. Well, fact is, candy was a reward he had not earned that day so the answer was no. A minute later, the paraprofessional was giving the student candy. I was perplexed; the student happy.

The second incident came in my second setting where a young first-year teacher in another room was having trouble with her paraprofessionals because she was 20-something in her first year of teaching and the paraprofessionals were many-something, had children of their own, and were a bit condescending toward her. It was a source of constant frustration for her. She was the professional, but she had too many mothers each day exercising their own wisdom. Being a mom does not necessarily qualify one to work with students who are differently-abled and have unique gifts nor, furthermore, does it give one the right to undermine the teacher—regardless of age or years in service.

In part one of this post, I started outlining the reasons my paraprofessional and I have such a successful working relationship. First, s/he needs to be flexible and able to reinforce what the teacher does. Second, s/he needs to have to freedom to act as a balance to the teacher when the teacher pushes too hard (something that will be negotiated when the student is not present). And, third, s/he needs to be open to direction and not take correction personally. 

Moving on to my fourth point, I encourage my paraprofessionals to share their ideas. I encourage them to be creative, to use their talents to make the classroom a better place, to make learning exciting, fun, and memorable. They help make our classroom a place students like and want to be. I think teachers should encourage this so that the paraprofessional has some ownership in what is going on and the success that follows. I made certain that, even though we had limited space, my paraprofessional had her own workspace. This gives her ownership in the work we are doing each day.

Fifth, paraprofessionals, good ones, are passionate about the students—that is, the work is more than just a job; people are our passion. A fine example is that the week before school started, my paraprofessional was in our classroom every day decorating, making educational games, dreaming with me about what the room should look like, rearranging stuff after she had already finished it and I decided upon a last minute change, and taking training classes. If I showed you a picture of our room, I would also point out that 90 percent of what is done is her work. I might have an idea, but she brings it to life. She understands well that what we do is not about me and it’s not about her. It is about the students entrusted to our care for seven hours per day.

Sixth, I will have more to say about this in part three of this post, but the fact of the matter is some people should not be paraprofessionals in the special education classroom (self-contained or otherwise). I believe very, very strongly about this.

“The services provided by paraprofessionals can have a major impact on whether students with disabilities receive a free, appropriate public education.” (Giangreco, Edelman, Broer, & Doyle (2001).*

I would also add that being in the room is just as much about temperament and personality as it is about whether you are highly qualified in reading and math. For my money, I will take a person who is patient with a child over one who has memorized the Encyclopedia Britannica any day of the week. A person who is in the classroom because they can be does not necessarily mean they should be. I wish the rules could change, but until they do, it is the teacher who has to set and enforce boundaries for the paraprofessional.

Having come from the ranks of the paraprofessional (I have 4.5 years of service credit as an educational assistant), I understand the hard, often unnoticed and unsupported, work that paraprofessionals do on a daily basis. Because I understand it, I have developed some strong opinions about that work. My ideas are based on experience, personal work ethic, and people watching (or observations) in classrooms during graduate school.

In part three of this post, I will share some thoughts on what I think is a way forward for the paraprofessionals who work alongside intervention specialists in the classroom and suggest some changes that I think need to take place in the overall scheme of things.

*This is an excellent article reviewing 10 years’ worth of professional literature concerning paraprofessionals. I highly recommend you read it.

Comments

[Susan Robinson]

Hi Jerry,

I am a preschool teacher in Bermuda. I am currently pursuing a MA in Special Education and eventually want to transition into the Special Education area. I have a 3 year old son who is currently going to be diagnoses with ASD.

I enjoyed reading your post and want to commend you for the encouraging and up building relationship you have with you paraeducator. I am an advocate for classroom and school collaboration. This even includes external support staff that provides intervention services to our students on IEPs. I believe we can all work together to ensure that all our student are being services in school appropriately and have an equal opportunity to education.

[Rhonda CLark]

Jerry,
I agree with everything that you said. It is wonderful to hear that you have such a great paraprofessional. They should participate in the daily activities and have the best interest of students in mind. Great JOb!

[Jerry]

Avery, I agree. Treating adults as adults is very important and necessary. In my experience, this is not always the case. (Not that I do not, but that some I have worked with do not.) It is a rule for me, though I realize that I, too, practice what I preach imperfectly. Would that I could live up to the standards I espouse. But we can all work hard to make the world of education better because when the adults work better, the children benefit. Thanks for the comment.

[Avery]

Looking at your posts and the comments, it appears the general concensus is to treat paraprofessionals and students with respect. I have heard of stories where teachers will manage their paras similar to how they manage their students. Its important to recognize that paraprofessionals are adults and should be treated as such. However, there is a delicate balance from being the "one in charge" and not beeing bossy. I am learning quickly that we as special educators wear many hats.

[Kayla]

Jerry,
Thank you for your posts on successfully working with paraprofessionals. Your experience has allowed you to see both sides of the relationship. You shared that it is important to include your paraprofessionals in decision-making and encourage them to share their ideas. Especially when it concerns students that they work closely with. Depending on the student and their schedule, the paraprofessional may accompany the student in other classes and activities or during meal times-times that the special educator may not see. During these times, crucial observations are being made by the paraprofessional that could spark ideas to benefit the student. It is essential that paraprofessionals have an opportunity to share these observations, experiences, and ideas with the special educator to develop strategies or experiences that will benefit the student and their education. Through my field experiences in the special education classroom, I have witnessed fantastic paraprofessionals and great communication and respect between paraprofessionals and special educators. The classroom runs so much more smoothly and successfully when these two roles are in sync and have a strong professional relationship.

[Jerry]

Friends,

I think it is important that we should, in fact, pay close attention to those in the classroom in this case, para-professionals who have been there a while.

That said, if you can get a hold of an article by McGrath, Johns, and Mathur called Empowered or Overpowered? Strategies for Working Effectively with Paraprofessionals, then do so and read it and keep it always handy. I have found that sometimes it is a matter of just being quiet and watching and learning. We don't have to lord it over people that we are the teacher and they are not, but I think our professionalism and character will amply demonstrate that we are the teacher and they are not.

And it is important to remember also that at the end of the day it is YOU, the teacher, who are responsible for the students, the outcomes, and the efforts. YOU are the one being judged by principals during observations and evaluations. YOU are the one who pays for an educator license. It is YOUR name at the bottom of the IEP progress report or the IEP itself. Help para-professionals understand the stakes involved.

So pay attention to wisdom, but I remember the words of the wise old Yoda: Remember your training, save you it can.

Jerry

[Kaylee]

Just like Emily, I am a student teacher in a very similar situation. It is very hard to come into a classroom so young with so much less experience than most of the adults already there. My mother is a paraprofessional, and she always says the biggest thing to her is that the teachers just show her respect. She said that the biggest way a new/young teacher can show respect is not to demand the paras to do things but to ask them. I am nervous for my first classroom as well, but I think as long as you show respect everything else will work out.

[Brittany]

Thank you for posting about this. I have been a paraeducator sub while I have been going to school. It is hard going into a classroom with out ANY training. I have gotten the phone call asking to sub and then walking into the office not knowing a thing about what I am going to be doing. When I would walk into the classroom, I still felt lost. There needs to be some kind of training for paraeducators. I think that this would not only help them, the teachers, and the students.
Without paraeducators we couldn't do our job and we would not be teach our students as much or as well as we can with them. I have had great experiences with paraeducators so far. They have been very helpful to me with knowing the students and the different things to avoid for behaviors. I am so thankful that they are here in my classroom and they know how things function without the classroom teacher there. It is nice to be able to count on the ladies that work in my room and know that the students are held to high expectations.

[Tonya]

Jerry,
Thanks for your thoughtful post on working with paraprofessionals. This is my second year teaching students students with developmental disabilities. I fortunate to have four paraprofessionals to work with myself and my students. My first year working with so many adults kept my head spinning. I am afraid, reflecting back, that I was not always an effective communicator. This year I have resolved to have better communication with all the staff that work in my room and with my students. I am thankful for all they do and I want them to know it. Additionally, my goal is that they feel their work is irreplaceable, but it is!

[Alley Chai]

I, like Jerry, have been on both sides in the classroom. I was a para-educator for almost two years until I started my student teaching this fall. I understand how difficult, and how often it can be unrewarding to be a para-educator when their work and dedication to the students often goes unnoticed. It can also be hard when the teacher never asks for your ideas or opinion, but, instead, directs and manages what you are supposed to be doing. I experienced this in my two years of being a para-educator. I was in a very negative classroom for students with intellectual disabilities. Often times, the teachers were not there and, when they were, you were to follow orders and not question anything. If a student always a had a bad day, no matter if it was the best day they had ever had, you were not to question when that student earned a frowny for the entire day. You just did your work and kept silence. For me, this was very disheartening and almost kept me from pursing my dream as a special educator.

However, as fall came around, I started my student teaching in a first and second grade classroom. My students have various disabilities and fall under the Accommodated CORE even though they take the UAA at the end of the year. They are the "question mark" kids that the district doesn't know what to do with. Since I have been there, I have fall in love with my job and my kids. I have watched my mentor teacher and her team work so well together. The classroom includes the teacher (my mentor), a full-time aide, and a part-time aide. We have thirteen kids with, not only academic struggles, but behavioral struggles as well. Yet, these ladies work so well together. My mentor has taught me that you don't direct or manage your aides, but you work with them to create a team, a team who is dedicated to helping students be successful and that is what this team is. She does this by having her para's sign a contract at the beginning of the year, having them run small-group as well as large-group time, giving them the freedom to be flexible and creative, and listening to their ideas on just about everything. She wants and needs their insight and input.

Having seen a classroom run like this, I want have my classroom be the same way. I know I am young. I am only 20 and will hopefully start teaching in my own classroom in December. I know that some people might find it hard to have a teacher who is younger than them - if this is the case, but I want my para-professionals to know that I respect and value them. They are an essential part of my team.

[Emily P.]

Jerry-
I loved your post about paraprofessionals and the working relationship required among them and the teacher. I am student teaching in a DCD classroom right now where we have 13 students and 9 paraprofessionals PLUS the teacher PLUS me. It’s a lot to handle most days! The paraprofessionals are great and establish trusting relationships with the students. They are always willing to help out when we are short-staffed or add their constructive criticism or input when we have a burning issue in the classroom.
Although they’re amazing paraprofessionals, I still feel very strange directing them to certain activities. For one, I am a student teacher with MUCH less experience. On the other hand, this is my practice in my field and I should be treating it as seriously as possible. Secondly, I am much younger, and I feel strange telling the paraprofessionals what to do AND when. I’m not sure it will be any easier when it is my own classroom. It doesn’t help that I’m a non-confrontational person to begin with.
There are times that my cooperating teacher disagrees with a paraprofessional’s decision and isn’t afraid to let them know. In my classroom, I plan to establish those rules from the start to avoid the miscommunication. There have been times my cooperating teacher has directed me to let the paraprofessionals know that she is unhappy with their decision, and it makes me uneasy. I realize it is part of the job; however, I would like to maintain a sense of cooperation in my future classroom.
It’s a tricky subject, especially for young, inexperienced teachers….practice. practice. patience. patience. practice.
Most importantly, I am SO very thankful for the work our paraprofessionals do each and every day. They are patient with the students, always have the students’ best interest in mind, and communicate with each other so wonderfully. They keep us together, and they are the glue of the classroom.