A teacher named Tami recounts an experience from her first year of teaching: My kids continued to grow and develop as learners in a happy and caring classroom community. I cannot however, take credit for all their success. I had a para educator who was in my classroom most of the day, specifically for 3 … Read more
Spanish Fork Junior High (Utah) paraeducator Lesley Johnson was recently named the Nebo School District’s Secondary Resource Paraeducator of the Year. From the article: “I feel like I can’t do my job without her,” said Spanish Fork Junior High teacher Katrina Davenport. “She’s so dedicated and devoted to helping people.” Johnson said she’s had students … Read more
First, the bad news… During the past several months we have heard from many individuals who have attended previous conferences and found that many states, districts, and national organizations are experiencing travel freezes and budget restrictions. Based on this and the current economic downturn, we have opted not to hold a 2010 conference. We want … Read more
One of the most popular posts on our site was a discussion started by a para from Sioux City, Iowa asking what paraeducators make in different states. The 100 replies to that question show that there is a lot of interest in that area. The entire article provides a great overview of the work that … Read more
Introduction to a great article by Richard Finegan:
I have a degree in journalism, a law degree, and am only a few hours short of being certified as a mild-moderate special education teacher. So why am I working as a para-educator/classroom aide?
His answer?
I missed this when it was posted back in May, but it is good enough that it is still worth sharing. Below is a blog post where a kind teacher takes the time to publicly thank her two paraprofessionals at the end of the school year:
I am dedicating this blog post to my two Para-Professionals that I work with, Mrs. Rogers and Mr. Nelson. Both have made my year spectacular and I truly mean that I could not have made it without them.
Wikipedia now has an entry titled Paraprofessional Educator that begins:
A paraprofessional educator, alternatively known as para-pros, instructional assistants, teacher’s aides or classroom assistants, is a teaching-related position within a school generally responsible for specialized or concentrated assistance for students in elementary and secondary schools.
It’s been awhile since we’ve done a roundup of para news…
Under ideal circumstances, having a certified, enthusiastic, well-prepared paraprofessional can make an enormous difference in the efficiency of your child’s classroom and the implementation of your child’s IEP.
Think you know a few things about paraeducators? Why not take a few minutes to help some people with questions. Yahoo Answers is the largest question and answer site out there with lots great questions and answers: What’s the dfference of a teacher aide and a teacher assistant? Where is the best place to find … Read more
Last year, we posted a popular inspirational video of Dalton Sherman, a young man who reminded educators, “We need you now more than ever.” I don’t know if that video can be matched, but here are a few more to help you get excited about a new school year: Taylor Mali answers the question, “What … Read more