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This month Kathy
Brinker focuses on the vital role
of the paraeducator (or as she calls
them, the "hardest working and
most underpaid
people on the planet"). Kathy shares
her top 3 propositions for helping to
encourage the paraeducator's crucial
part in assisting students.
This month I would like to focus on
those individuals that work very hard
to provide their best everyday in the
gymnasium - the PARAEDUCATOR.
Different schools call them aides, paraprofessionals
(parapros), helpers, inclusion assistants,
or other titles. I call them the "hardest
working and most underpaid people on
the planet." Think about it: whether
you are a standard physical educator
with paraeducators wandering in and
out of your classroom, or an adapted
physical educator teaching self-contained
classes with their assistance, paraeducators
contribute vitally to all individuals
involved.
My personal goal is to help paraeducators
improve in ways they assist the students
in my classroom. Dare to dream with
me about ways we can all encourage this
to happen. Praising paraeducators more,
and educating them about my thoughts
for a particular student is very important,
although admittedly I am not the best
at doing this. In addition, I need to
sit back and listen to them share their
thoughts and ideas about a student,
as they are the person who is with the
student most of the day. By this time
of year the parapro has discovered the
student's fears, likes, dislikes, and
needs. We both know where we want to
get our students physically, socially,
and emotionally. Our job is to use our
collaborative skills to help each other
meet the student's needs. Let's address
several areas we can assist paraeducators
in helping students with disabilities.
Following are my 3 core propositions
that I believe will improve this process.
- Define the paraeducator's roles
and responsibilities.
- Provide paraeducators with proper
training.
- Realize paraeducators need and
deserve our respect.
1. Define the
paraeducator's roles and responsibilities.
Often we do not provide paraeducators
with specific roles and assignments
for the physical education of our students.
Just telling them to "hang onto
them," or "make sure they
get what they need," is not going
to increase student learning and does
not provide specifics for the paraeducator
working with students. Remember that
you, as the physical educator, are ultimately
responsible for educating each child
in your classroom. Paraeducators are
very important in supporting the student
in that environment.
Before the school year starts is the
best time to sit with your parapros
and define exactly what they will be
responsible for. Some of these responsibilities
might include stretching a student during
warm-ups, pushing their wheelchair during
a tag game, or using verbal cues to
help a student stay in a particular
area. Roles for student peers may be
retrieving equipment, placing a ball
on a T, or helping other students get
on a pinnie. Think about ways to increase
involvement of peers and free the parapro
when possible. Our ultimate goal is
to increase student's independence and
decrease both paraprofessional and peer
support. Define how often the student
will need paraeducator support in class.
Decide if they will check with you every
day if their assistance is needed, depending
on student needs and your curriculum,
or whether they will only be needed
during team sport skills. Or, perhaps
there is a daily need for the parapro
to shadow an individual student.
Be sure to document thoroughly in the
student's IEP their need for parapro
support. Read
a sample of IEP
objectives that include the breadth
and depth of the paraeducators
role in student learning.
Don't assume parapro's know your expectations.
If you want them in tennis shoes, tell
them to come in tennis shoes. Some staff
will not be natural "movers."
You will need to instruct them on how
active you'd like them to be during
your class. Frankly, I think getting
staff to move during your class may
be the hardest skill to change and shape.
You are the physical educator, and I
am confident you will find ways to praise
them for their movement and energy!
Writing down the paraeducator's roles,
as well as yours, helps everyone reach
a similar understanding about their
respective roles. From time to time
you may need to revisit the document,
particularly if a staff member is not
following through with their role. Be
as specific as possible; you could say
something like, "When I ask the
students to go get their equipment I
need for you to__________________."
Tell them what you want them to bring
to the gym, such as the students behavior
charts (taken from the child's Behavioral
Intervention Plan; B.I.P.). Also,
use whatever is regularly happening
in the classroom in your environment
for consistency. If you do not have
the support you feel you need in your
environment (particularly with behavior
issues), ask the IEP team to sit down
with you and show you the BIP for the
student. If there is not a BIP, describe
the behaviors you are seeing and ask
for help from the team.
2. Provide paraeducators
with proper training
Most parapros do not have a background
in motor development. They are often
comfortable assisting the student in
the classroom, but some may be secretly
terrified of doing something that will
result in student injury. A great resource
to begin the process of thinking deliberately
about training paraprofessionals is:
Paraeducators
in Physical Education - A Training Guide
to Roles and Responsibilities, by
Lauren J. Lieberman. This is really
the first text of its kind that discusses
all the skills needed for paraeducators
in assisting students with disabilities
in physical education. Before the start
of the school year, go through this
little
checklist I have developed (or perhaps
develop your own) with the paraeducator
who will be assisting in your classroom.
If you do not feel confident in training
the paraeducator, feel free to call
in the adapted physical education professional,
the physical therapist, or other members
of the team to assist. Don't overlook
the parents; they are a great resource
for assisting at the start, especially
when it is a new student to your school.
Describe to the paraeducator when you
believe the student will need assistance
and when they should back away to encourage
student independence. Unlike the cadence
in the classroom your units change often,
and paraeducators will need training
on upcoming use of equipment, strategies,
and student involvement. Many students
with special needs will require a modification
of the content or the delivery of a
knowledge test. Paraprofessionals need
to understand the testing procedures,
including things such as whether they
will be asked to read the test aloud,
or the location of the exam.
Training needs to continue throughout
the year. Training and ongoing consultation
requires time. Develop with the child's
IEP team a time when you and the paraeducator
can take a few minutes to discuss how
things are going, and upcoming units
and curriculum. Here is a sample of
how such a consultation might go:
The student is a 4th grader named Tim,
who has cerebral palsy and uses a power
wheelchair in physical education. Mrs.
Smith is the paraeducator. The class
will begin a striking unit with paddles
next week. While sitting with Mrs. Smith
reviewing next week's lessons, Mr. Gym,
the physical educator, describes that
during the first couple of days the
students will be striking balls with
paddles in their own space to develop
eye-hand coordination. This will also
give Mr. Gym time to go around and check
each student's grip on the paddle.
He tells Mrs. Smith that he has a great
lightweight oversized paddle for Tim
to use, and that he will suspend a ball
with a string from the basketball hoop.
Mrs. Smith suggests that they get a
measurement of how high Tim can stretch
so they know exactly how high to place
the ball. Mr. Gym suggests that they
also make the string with a slip knot,
so that as the 30 minute lesson progresses
Mrs. Smith can slowly (about 1"
every 10 minutes) move the ball up.
This will encourage Tim to stretch further,
and help Tim reach his goal of actively
stretching and improving the range of
motion in the elbow of his right arm.
That describes a scenario where 2 professionals
are working together to meet the needs
of the student. The fancy name for this
is collaboration.
3. Realize paraeducators
need and deserve our respect.
That is certainly an understatement!
From wiping noses, to chasing students
who feel the need to escape, these individuals
deserve our respect. I am thinking bulletin
board time! Highlighting a parapro who
exemplifies great characteristics can
really get people moving! Highlights
can be as simple as: Mrs. Smith is always
on time for class, has her tennis shoes
on, is active with the students, and
knows when to let the students spread
their wings and fly on their own! Discuss
with the principal a plan for the preferred
parking spot for a month, and see who
wants to be highlighted. Often we don't
have enough time during class to exchange
a lot of words. Little pep notes slipped
in a mailbox are a great way to tell
someone they are working hard for a
child. I mentioned before the crucial
importance of listening to parapros
express their ideas; this will help
them feel they are a valued member of
the team. Here's a great site to help
with creative ways of saying "thank
you." - Ongoing
and Informal Ways to Thank Volunteers.
Lastly, and most importantly, I want
tell those 32 paraeducators that I work
with week after week...
"Thank
you for all you do for the students!"
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