Paraeducator Newsletter
Let's Hone Our Skills Together
Our strange new schedules may allows some extra time to reflect on our practice. It's a great time to think about skills we would like to develop and work on others we would like to improve.
The 'What Makes An Effective Paraeducator" chart above gives us a helpful framework to organize our thoughts and chart a course for improvement. Pick one area at a time and set some goals. Check out the informative resources for each area.
1. Diversity and Inclusive Practices:
A definition of diversity is to establish a sense of belonging for everyone. The job of a paraeducator is to determine how that might look in the classroom? It's often easier to see how we differ from one another, but it's a greater challenge to help students see the many ways we are alike. We find ourselves in inclusive classrooms with students with different disabilities, different behavioral issues, cultural and racial differences and at different instructional levels. It becomes abundantly clear there is no one size fits all approach when it comes to reaching out to our students and learning will only take place when students feel safe and share a sense of belonging.
Resources for Diversity and Inclusive Practice:
http://Prodigygame.com/blog/diversity-in-the-classroom
Classroom%20ppt.pdf
2. Understanding Behavior:
We need to look at behavior through a wide lens to try to understand how behavior interacts between function, skills, and environment. A simple definition of behavior is 'the way in which one acts or conducts oneself toward others' . We also know from working with our students that behavior is often very complex; it expresses communication, choice, negation, and emotions and is often difficult to interpret it's exact meaning. Our attention is often focused on challenging behavior because of the disruption it causes in the classroom. Paraeducators are usually the frontline workers in the classroom when it comes to behavior. Since paraeducators are often called upon to support students with challenging behaviors it's imperative that they have resources in their toolkit to help students take responsibility for their own behavior.
Resources to Support Behavior in the Classroom:
iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/fba/cresource/q1/p01
3. Effectively Manage A Crisis:
Due to the paraeducator's close proximity to their students, they are usually the first on the scene when a crisis is brewing. It is especially important that paraeducators are trained to recognize signs of stress and can quickly utilize strategies and techniques to defuse behavior before it becomes volatile and harmful in nature.
Resources for Crisis Management:
slideshare.net/nrcpara/16-the-trauma-informed-paraeducator
hes-extraordinary.com/de-escalation-techniques
4. Maintaining Boundaries on the Job:
Maintaining personal and professional boundaries can be difficult because the paraeducator interacts with so many people throughout the day. It is important to understand the legal and ethical guidelines concerning their work. It is necessary that all school personnel who come in contact with students, or are able to access records, understand FERPA regulations, as well as how, when, and what information can be shared with staff, parents and students.
Privacy Guidelines and FERPA Regulations:
https://www.fordham.edu/download/downloads/id/1853/07b_-_teachers_guide_to_ferpa.pdf
https://www.cec.sped.org/Standards/Paraeducator-Preparation-Guidelines
5. Helping Students to Be Independent:
The greatest gift we can give our students is to help them become independent in their everyday lives. For students to gain this much needed independence we must support all aspects of a their lives, which includes their academic pursuits, as well as catering to their social-emotion wellbeing. Sometimes the hardest thing we do is to step back and let our students struggle and then soar. We have to encourage them to be vulnerable and try -even when success isn't a given. For all of us, those accomplishments we worked hardest for are the ones that give the greatest satisfaction.
Resources for Independence:
edutopia.org/article/guiding-students-be-independent-learners
https://inclusiveschools.org/avoiding-over-use-of-paraeducator-support-for-individual-students/
6. Think and Act Proactively:
To be effective, a paraeducator must know and understand their job responsibilities. In supporting students in the classroom, paraeducators and teachers must work as a well oiled team. To operate seamlessly, these responsibilies and division of duties need to be clearly established ahead of time, and vary appropriately for each student. The paraeducator works under the guidance of the teacher and must be informed of instructional strategies and methodologies being utilized to meet the student's educational goals. To maximize the effectiveness of the student's educational team, the paraeducator should always be included as an active participant.
Resources to Promote Proactivity:
Inclusiveschools.org/clarifying-the-roles-and-responsibilities-of-paraeducators
https://paracenter.org/researchers/bibliography/paraeducators-and-collaboration.html
Always remember that you are essential to this work! "You got what it takes...but it will take all that you got". Stay well!
Oakland County Paraeducator Newsetter - May 29, 2020
Diane Fekete, PhD
Special Education Consultant
Oakland Schools
248 209-2091