my job is to help that student become more independent, more self-regulated and self-sufficient. I’ve never heard anyone explain how this can happen if I am constantly elbow-to-elbow with my kid.
I learned early that the very last person from whom to seek advice about what your role is as a para-educator in the general education classroom is the general education teacher.
They will frequently think:
You’re there to make their copies.
You’re there to accompany kids to the office when they give them a referral for some misbehavior.
You’re there to take attendance.
You’re there to post grades.
You’re there to keep the “special ed kids” quiet so they can teach the other students.
We may not be certificated, but we are professionals with a legal role to play (much like the speech pathologist or the occupational therapist) determined by the students’ IEPs.
We deserve to be treated as co-workers in the classroom, not as go-fers.
research shows these aides lack appropriate training for the jobs they perform. They often view their role as an extension of parenthood rather than one needing expertise in education and child development.
“Sometimes relying on paraeducators may feel effective because it relieves, distributes or shifts responsibility for educating a student with specialized needs, but educators should not confuse this outcome with effectiveness for students.”