General

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 headache, and my shoulder is killing me from being tensed for so long. (from Lord, it's Monday)

And this one...

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.

Think you know a few things about paraeducators? Why not take a few minutes to help some people with questions. Of course you can always find a few unanswered questions on our message board, but that is not the only place people are looking for answers:

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 paraeducator/paraprofessional resources online?
• What can I do at 14 to become a special education teacher?
• What does a Title 1 paraprofessional do in a classroom?
• Paraprofessional work in an elementary school setting: What's it like?
• Lots more special education questions...

Does this sound right?

Sensitivity and patience are key assets.

Watch the video below for more: