Paraprofessionals Provide Practice

Well, at the outset of my experience in the new cross categorical program I was admittedly dissappointed, thinking "here I get even more stuck in a self contained role" as my hope had been to utilize my skills beyond special education.   That I realized was the wrong attitude.  This has been an opportunity to take my leadership skills to a new level going where the building has never gone before by adding a complex program.  Aside from working with occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, social workers, administration, custodians (bless them they had extra jobs on their plate that first year with our students) and consultants to create a system that held high expectations and had flexibility, I worked with many, many paraprofessionals.  
   Ah, the yin and yang of paraprofessionals.  Each one comes to the classroom, at least 90%, ready to support their hearts out.  Each come with unique skill sets and learning styles.  In the past I was able to work with one a year in my room, often the same one came back for many years.  In this position I was given fresh finds.  With each fresh find I had to learn their personal strengths and weaknesses, provide group and individual coaching.  Always coaching, I often drew back on The Talent Code I had read years ago, coach quickly in the moment when possible, don't let errors become practiced errors, coach in the arena you are playing in.  I also learned to adjust myself and the structure based on the skills of the paras.  I had to adapt quite a bit of housekeeping duties as I noticed that my group from last year (most in school or other full time teaching jobs, or even placed in less demanding positions this year) was much faster in completing tasks than my  group of community members (I love that we are hiring within our community by the way).  On the flip side my first group struggled with bathroom assistance, snotty noses, recognizing that the student will not suffocate in the sensory tunnel whereas my second group was ready without coaching to teach blowing the nose, didn't flinch when a student indicated an 'accident' and needed less reassurance that the students will be ok when monitored through items you might not see their face for a moment.  I had to adjust what was expected within certain time frames as well as what was handed to whom during timeframes.  
   There were times where I had to model several times and make adjustments as much as I could for some paras.  There were also times when I had to recognize that there is not a good fit.  This happened when adjusting for a para who often dropped their eyelids anytime there was sitting so that many times her duties required some kind of movement.  With one para, a student was misplaced twice during transition times (their only charge was this one student both times) requiring a literal search party for the quick little one.  This was a safety issue and wasn't allowed to be replicated and the use of this para while they remained was in a very simple assignment position that did not require monitoring or instructing as although these areas were taught and coached they were still a concern and provoked more challenges than actual support.  There was a para who asked how to take something off a shelf and how to open a container of wipes etc, and after the initial 'did they just ask that?' I had to think why?  Were they processing aloud and needed a confirmation? were they not trusting their own judgement? Were they waiting for someone else to do it?  So what I did was confirm that they should trust their thinking in such situations.  In one of our morning group meetings prior to students I also reminded all, that each of us are so busy and that I trust all of our thinking through minor problems so that if we had small problems (several examples in each of the class areas) try to work through the problem to keep instructional pace intact and jot down (we have a place for questions) if their strategy didn't work.  With this individual para I have not had subsequent questions as I had prior.
    Paras provide practice in communication as well.  Whether it is communicating a new strategy with a student, communicating the key areas of work with each student, schedule changes or even language barriers I've had lots of practice.  I have had a para that had limited English and I have limited Spanish, needles to say it was a great learning opportunity to increase my Spanish skills.
    Good paras are hard to find no doubt, but most, regardless of their skill level come in to be dedicated professionals that want to work towards a shared vision of each student achieving their best.  I have had to adjust for them and they in turn have had to adjust to me and my specific expectations of each member during each timeframe as well as being subjected to my modeling of so many tasks. I am grateful for all of the paras I have had and they have unknowingly taught me much about leading a diverse team toward a common goal.