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.
While gathering some information for the Are you a Paraprofessional Expert? post a few days ago, I came across a couple of questions where paraprofessionals were asking for advice on upcoming interviews:
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...
About.com Answers a Very Important Question
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. 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:
There isn't very much information about this video and the music is a little loud, but this paraeducator gives answers to some questions about her job that you may relate to:
We have a number of videos from the 2008 National Conference that we will be sharing in the next few weeks. To begin with, here is a short 2-minute clip of Ann Lou Pickett, the founder of the National Resources Center for Paraprofessionals. Anna Lou shares how she became interested in paraprofesssionals, some of the early lessons she learned and the important roles that teachers and paraprofessionals play in the classroom. Enjoy!