Nicole Beck Paraprofessional Assignment September 29, 2013 Part 1 The paraprofessional that I observed works in a middle school

life skills classroom. The paraprofessional that I observed has the same schedule each day and spends most of the day with one particular student. The student that she spends the majority of her time with is nonverbal and in a wheelchair. In the morning she works with him on his reading and his workboxes. She will also assist him to ride an exercise bike. In the afternoon, she assists him at lunch and during P.E. During 7th hour, she takes one of our students to a gen ed classroom. If there are schedule changes or if the paraprofessional needs to do something differently for the day, my cooperating teacher will talk with her about the changes, or, if she is not there, she will leave her schedule for her so that she knows exactly what she is supposed to be doing and when. My cooperating teacher and the paraprofessional in our classroom have worked together for the past few years and they have developed a very good relationship. They are able to openly communicate with each other and discuss any concerns that they have with each other. The role of the paraprofessional in this setting is basically the same as the teachers. She guides the lessons and assists the students in any way that she can.

Part 2 After interview my cooperating teacher, I was able to find out a lot more information about the paraprofessionals in the school that I am working at. My cooperating teacher does not

hire her paraprofessionals. The Special Education director and the principal meet with and interview the candidates. Once the paraprofessionals are hired, my Co-Op assigns their duties and oversees their position. The paraprofessionals have no formalized training. They receive CPI training if needed and they have to pass a test online in order to get the job. Kelly said that her primary role is to make sure that all union things are abided by. For example, she has to make sure that they are receiving the right amount of breaks and that they have enough time for their lunches. She also makes sure that they are comfortable with working with the students and that they are safe when working with the kids. Since she is not a supervisor, she does not provide evaluations to her paraprofessionals but she is able to verbalize her feedback to both of them. Kelly said that it is very important for her to show by example and to make sure that they have an open line of communication so that she can express any concerns that either of them has. In order for her paraprofessionals to provide feedback to her, they can either talk to her personally or they can talk to the principal about any concerns that they have. Kelly said that the most important thing about working with paraprofessionals is to have mutual respect and open communication. They do a lot of work throughout the day and it is important to show appreciation toward them.

Part 3 I think that the main role of the paraprofessional is assist the teacher in the classroom and to supervise and educate the students in their classrooms. Kelly had told me that the paraprofessionals in their building do not meet their cooperating teachers until the first day of school. I think that in order to be as successful as possible, teachers and their paraprofessionals should meet several times before school starts to discuss the way things

will run. I also think that additional training would be helpful for paraprofessionals. For example I think that they should have CPR training and I believe that they should be trained in whatever content that they are expected to teach. If they show up on the first day and have to teach a child something that they no nothing about, it is not fair to either the paraprofessional or the student. I think that it is very important for the teacher and their paraprofessionals to have an open line of communication. By having that, they will be able to discuss any concerns or questions they have right away. Being comfortable with each other is very important when it comes to having a successful relationship. There are many ways to facilitate an open line of communication. Having weekly meetings with each other can help both the teacher and the paraprofessional stay updated on what is going on in the classroom and with the students. In any relationship there are going to be disagreements or arguments and I think that the best way to address those issues is to address them as soon as possible. If there are differing opinions, bringing in a third party outsider to give input may be helpful. Another thing that both parties should keep in mind is that their relationship is a partnership and in order for it to be as successful as possible, both people need to be willing to compromise. Welcoming opinions and suggestions from each other will also help to facilitate a strong partnership.