There once was a chef entrusted with cooking for the council’s head table.  The chef was honored at once by this treasured position.  He was well known for his past feats with roasts, vegetables and pies.  As he took on his new position he ensured he had all of the necessary ingredients in their just spaces.  The onions were separate from the tomatoes.  The flour, which had been hard to come by due to the past years droughts, was carefully sealed to prevent the weevils from devouring it.  The knives clean, sharpened were positioned at ready next to the cutting board across from the set of mixing bowls.  The area around the oven was clear to prevent any mishaps.

It came time for the first meal to be cooked.  The Chef leaned into his strengths and began brine a fine slab of meat for a roast.  He looked over the available amenities and selected asparagus as a side and identified some nice creamer potatoes for adding to the roast as it cooked.  He noted that he had a considerable amount of blueberries so figured he could make a blueberry pie as a dessert. 

With the Brine’s duration complete he began the fire for the roast.  As he moved about he incidentally caught the sleeve of his new chef coat on a small protruding nail.  As he put his attention to freeing himself without tearing his new coat he incidentally backed too close to the fire.  It began smoldering and he flung it from himself onto the floor attempting to stamp the light out.  He saw the flour container in close proximity and decided that instead of searing his shoes as well he would dampen the flames by dumping some of the flour on the blaze.  This did indeed work and he wiped off the char marks on his shoe and admitted the loss of his new jacket, although he hoped it could be salvaged to some extent.  He resettled himself and continued his efforts for the meal.  Soon his kitchen helpers would be coming in and he wanted to have a good start before their arrival.

Eventually the staff did arrive and the Chef provided orders for everyone.  One of the staff members the Chef particularly enjoyed being around.  They were close to being amorous and the Chef would sometimes be giddy when she was helping out.  This day she brought him a flower chain assembled in the shape of a heart.  He beamed and felt his spirit lift as if free from gravity.  When she went to the garden to gather some garnishes he went to her station and sprinkled some flour and drew a heart in the middle of it.  

Word came by way of the messenger that it was hoped that the desert could be a pie as there were a few guests who were coming from an area that didn’t have the resources for that type of desert.  The Chef beamed.  He gleefully admitted that he already did have just that in mind and it was planned to be a blueberry pie.  The messenger went off appearing to be in a similar state of satisfaction as the Chef.  When he arrived back at his station one of his assistants informed the Chef that the local governess had requested some flour for a paper mache project.  The Chef being in a dually fueled bliss replied that of course she could take what she needed and he returned to his station.

With the main dish dealt with and the sides coming along nicely it was time to begin the pie.  The Chef moved about gathering his ingredients.  You don’t need much for a pie.  When he got to his flour container his heart dropped a few inches.  There were only a few tablespoons of flour left in the container.  It would be impossible to create a pie.  In fact the only thing he could make would be a small crust island amid a sea of blueberries in a pie tin.  He began to notice his frustration in the heat of his neck.  His menu was disheveled now, his message to the messenger stood incorrect.  He began declaring that the lack of flour was ridiculous.  He verbally berated his staff on the topic that the kitchen should be stocked with resources.  One of the less meek staff reminded him that it was stocked after dinner yesterday and that reserves were low.  She then asked what he had used it for.  After reflection, the Chef realized his mistake of not saving the flour for its identified purpose but in the other ways in which it disappeared from his stock.  He regretted his mismanagement of his resources immediately.

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We educators can lament about how hard we work all we want but it is important to step back and appreciate all the work our students have to do.  Whether it is exercising more patience than we do in a week to make sure their message is relayed correctly or whether it is maintaining a state of regulation despite the distracting extra noises and sights, they are working hard.  Just like we may appreciate a break from them they will appreciate a break from us.

I have utilized non structured student choice breaks throughout my career.  Typically this looks like an 8 minute break between work tasks.  This would occur after approximately 40 min work with my emotional/behavioral student and three to 5 minutes with students on the spectrum after 15, 20 or 40 min of instruction.  When I was running hard core stations (the extra intense structure needed with young spectrum students, message me if you want more info on how to do this). I began with work duration length 15 minutes for some kiddos.  It varies and it can vary over the years.  Particularly with my class I moved with for 5 years.  As the students were able to maintain increased focus for instruction I moved the clock with them.  As they were able to independently sustain interest based activity, I moved that from 3-5 min.   Essentially, the exact specifics vary but my favorite was the 8 minutes.  This way students could actually engage in something, completely check out of 'work task' and then were satiated enough to return to the work task.

The biggest tenet of this strategy is that it is THEIR choice.  I have used other daily breaks like Calm Connect (which I absolutely recommend so click here to see what it is about) or go noodle (a little bit harder for students deep on the spectrum as some activities could accidentally dysregulate a student, click here to see what it is about).  When I am choosing the break activity it is NOT a student free choice break.  The student choice break is for the student to select an activity they want.  I have had a student who just wants to play with putty, a student who just wanted to look out the window, a student that colors on one picture and after many breaks comes out with a beautifully finished work of art.  The only time I interject is if there is a significant skill deficit, such as playing with others or the complete lack of knowing what to do with free time.  Both have happened and I try to not teach towards the skill deficits EVERY time but will work towards building that skill.  I cannot emphasize enough about how much you will learn about the students when you give them regular times to just be themselves.  It is even more magical when you see them notice each other's activities or join in on a group activity.

This strategy of Student Choice Time serves several purposes. The first being it gives them a mental break. Click here for article from edutopia on benefits of breaks for reducing anxiety, stress, and frustration.  Breaks are incredibly important for everyone and especially students working hard on things that are harder for them than neurotypical students.  The second reason is that they WILL work harder for you during task time if they know that the break is coming up.  I have absolutely seen this happen with all etiologies that I have taught.  The third is that it provides you more insight with their interests because by free choice I mean students choose what they want to do (within limits, they can't go biplane or head to the gym).  This can give you more insight for student interest or, in the case of a couple of my friends it can give you insight into the fact that they do not know what to do with downtime or how to select a preferred activity.  With the latter it then helps you develop their independence skill by inviting them to try various choices.  The fourth reason is that it gives opportunities for students to play together.  There are several times that students may choose to play with one or parallel play.  Both of these situations are opportunities to develop social interaction skill.   To encourage (but not dictate their free choice time) I might allow them to use an activity set that they are all excited about.  A fifth reason is that it gives a bit of a cushion for yourself and paras to switch mindfully to the next activity.

You may say, "there is not enough time for them to play".  Or you may say, "I can't give that much free time in a day".  To these I say not true.  Students rise to the occasions they are situated in when given confidence.  Students have cleaned up so quickly (now I have had a year or two I have to time their clean up and make a goal after discussion with them that I might have to reduce how much free time they have if it takes up too much time for everyone to be ready).  It was not uncommon to have games set aside that were in mid-play to be picked up again the next break time, or even setting aside a lego structure to be continued during the next time as well.  In regards to taking time from the instructional minutes, I also believe that the student time we take preparing or shifting to the next activity is wasted time for the student anyhow, might as well let them reduce anxiety, stress and frustration while making the shift.  Additionally, with their renewed attention you are going to get more progress than if you kept them waiting for 'something' to come next while they are still in an 'on' mode.  

As with all routines you will have to teach this.  You may even start out with 10 minutes and bring it down to 8 or the opposite.  Teaching is a craft so you could take this strategy of Student Choice Time and merge it with your craft.  I guarantee whether you have an audience of neurotypical or neurally diverse students you will maintain their attention better when you want it and they will appreciate that you are helping reduce their anxiety, stress and frustration.  Also I do believe you will find some very enjoyable moments as you see their interests and maybe even engage in the activity with them.  

above: A 'task bin' that is explained at the beginning of the year or joining the room.  Since you can expect the unexpected this tool helps get things done when multiple people have varying and unscheduled down time.  I typically put post it notes like, "8 copies front and back, laminate, cut".  That way items can be crossed off and placed in next section without being left somewhere around the room and find an easier bites sized route to completion.

When I completed my undergraduate degrees for education I came away with a lot of knowledge for how to bring others to my learning objectives.  Despite not having human resource classes I gradually learned that I could leverage my educating skills to help support paraprofessionals as well.

I have worked with so many lovely paraprofessionals.  Some years having only one, one year having 4, and many years having 3.  Sometimes I also had an observations student or student teacher.  Lots of adults can get messy so having some strategies for guidance and communication are imperative.

I would like to advocate for a few simple things here such as a running your room a bit like a project manager, coaching towards zone defense and building skills based on needs of students AND interests of paraprofessionals.

Firstly, if you have every worked in a self contained special needs classroom with high intensity students you are aware that stressors occur each moment.  Teachers, paras and probably students are always regulating.  So if you can reduce the stress in any way then that would be beneficial for your  team.  Having scheduled times where all of you are together at the start of your day can allow for important communication to be had rather than giving info 'on the fly'.  It is also an opportunity for everyone to hear the same message.  Most of us are familiar with the game of telephone and so having the messages directly reduces misunderstanding and potential conflict.  A short 10 minute time would be all that would be needed on the daily.  However also schedule some collaboration time (preferably all together to prevent misinformation and waste of the valuable resource of time) to review student goals and focus areas in the room.  When multiple adults work together we can all come in with our own goggles and filters.  By directly stating the focus and modeling concepts on specific actions you will see more student growth.  Especially if done all together so paras have time to pose thoughts, insights and questions.  This strategy of dedicated collaboration time (without students but with WHOLE team) is incredibly beneficial.  Get your admin on board.  I could write several posts on just this topic but for now I will end with making sure you have a good communication board as well.  A quick reference so everyone knows the game plan for the day and an area where written communication can be shared without interrupting others in their work (reducing attention shifts = less stress). 

Maintaining the zone.  I have always positioned my paras in a zone defense attitude.  This means that although yes some students may get along with one para better than others, but I do not only assign that para to them all day everyday.  This would set the student and the class team up for failure.  If that para is absent or has to quit it can be an extremely emotional experience that could have been reduced if we had built the student to be a bit more flexible.  With the zone defense philosophy it also means that any para can shift into a station, activity, student support and have the tools to feel competent.  Which again is why the above collaboration is important.  Time to coach and review practices is needed and it just makes so much more sense to teach everyone together (differentiate later if necessary, and in your career it will be necessary to differentiate for paras).  Once everyone can play all positions then the main repeating assignments are made with strengths in mind, but I always aim to rotate each para working with each student for some part of time in the week to keep rapport in tact.  This definitely reduces major break downs on days with absences.  If you have a paraprofessional that balks at an activity or a student, hear them and consider the information as formative assessment for what they can learn next but maintain your expectation of having them prepared to support the team when a leg is removed.  For this, that collaboration piece is imperative and perhaps you could work with admin to get a few days before school, or an inservice time here or there to support this.  In my recent district there was an early release day that made much sense to keep paras there and have a longer collaboration time at least once a month. 

Lastly, lets face it.  Paraprofessionals rarely come in with all necessary skills to start the job with absolute efficient and pertinent information.  How can they?  Each student is so unique. That means you have an opportunity to support them as well with new learning.  At the beginning of the year you can simply ask what they would be most interested in learning more about.  Possibly this question would be after reviewing students/processes.  Even though you'll be coaching all the students/processes this allows for you to attend to them as an individual and provide them resources to support their specific curiosity.  This may be by finding them an article, video or give them time to observe or meet with another person in the district.  As the year begins you'll be doing some formative assessments as well.  What strategies need more coaching, is there a student need that needs more understanding developed behind it?  You can add small learning moments (very small for your morning stand up) for your collaboration times.  I have recorded myself many times using a strategy and will share with others and have even offered to let the para record themselves for self reflection.  Basically it comes down to supporting the paras so they have the confidence to achieve and then the opportunity to be successful.  This will make a world of difference in your room.  It can even help with poor attitudes because they usually come down to an unconscious perceived ego attack or lack of confidence.

Paraprofessionals are great.  I cannot stress that enough so we need to take care of them.  They certainly are not paid enough in my opinion which I have laid in print or stated verbally so often.  We can work to take care of them by alleviating stress and building confidence.  Sprinkle on top of that genuine acts of appreciation, opportunities for humor and play and your team will see an amount of success that you may not have expected.