nrcp_s3vmb2 Diane Sangelo worked with Rago Blair’s son Isaac Rago from grade school all the way up through high school. She developed a special bond with Isaac over the years as she helped him to go from a wheelchair to walking on his own and learning basic sign language to communicate. Her devotion has extended beyond … Read more
We recently came across a couple of stressful accounts from paras of their first day back from school: I’m a paraeducator for children. Today was our first day. I am praying for patience. Not with the kids. The kids are great. My stress levels are so high after this morning, that I have a horrible … Read more
The NRCP 2011 Paraprofessional Conference has been scheduled for: May 12-14, 2011 At the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Call for papers will be posted soon and additional information will be forthcoming. Sign up for our newsletter to receive conference updates in your inbox!
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.