Para-educators – Their Role in the Classroom
In the age of education reform and inclusion of children with special needs in the general education classroom there has been a rise in the need to further define the role of the para-educator. It has become all too common for para-educators to assume the role of teacher for the child with special needs while in the classroom. This, in my opinion, is exactly opposite of what they should be doing. Rather than the general education teacher taking the lead and ensuring that the child is engaged in all activities within the classroom, many times the students is just “there” and not participating in what the other students are doing. The para-educator is left to define what the student is learning while in the classroom. It is not the para-educators job to do this! It is the job of the general education teacher and special education teacher to collaborate in order to define what the student should be doing during each activity. In some cases, activities in the classroom may be academically out of the student’s abilities; however, this does not preclude them from participating in the activity. Accommodations and modifications to all activities should be planned ahead of time and then the para-educator can help facilitate the student’s participation. In the case where the accommodations and modification are sufficient to allow the student to be independently involved in the activity, the para-educator can then take the time to collect data or assist other students in the room.
It is not enough for students with special needs just to be in the classroom and be receiving lessons from the para. There must be adequate preparation on the part of the general and special education teachers in order to best serve the child in that environment.