Going without?

Has anyone ever done Kinder without a parapro? We currently have 7 classes and 4 parapros... Well really 3 since one does PE for most of the day. The current Kinder classes do with 1/2 time paras. Next year there will be (unless something changes) 7 classes and 2 parapros. Not sure what that will look like especially since I've never taught K. I'm thinking maybe it's better that I've never taught with a para.... I won't know what I'm missing! Has anyone on here done it both ways? What should I prepare myself for?

 

I have taught K for 15 years and I have never had an aide. Actually, I don't know of a school district in my entire area that has K aides. I think you really have to look at class size. I usually have around 18-20 kids and that is manageable. I think many schools that have aides are schools that have big groups of kids.

 

Our K classes do not have an aide either. We only have an aide if the student population warrants it and then only for reading, writing, and math classes.

 

How many kids? The district I used to work in only had an aide for an hour a day...there were 22 kids in a class.

Now, the district I am in, there is a full time aide in each class.

 

lol paras in Kindergarten? wow.....
None for us and our classes are at LEAST 25 kids....

 

We only have an aide assigned to a kindergarten class (20 - 23 students) if there is a cluster of students who have identified needs that require them to have 1 on 1 support for a portion of their day.

 

No aide here...only if special ed child is in class and only for that child.

 

i never have had an aide either, with 23 or 24 kids. it is fine!

 

34 years, 18 (or more in the past) children in my class and never had an aide of any kind.

 

I taught in public school in California (Kinder to 4th) and I never even knew what a Parapro was until I moved to the east coast. We didn't have assistants or parapros for any grade level. I taught kinder by myself with 20 children.

 

I actually preferred not having a para (I taught first). I never knew what to do with them.

 

Wow, I feel better about that then! Hahaha, the other teachers are somewhat nervous because they have always had them. I guess I'll be okay then! Thanks

 

I've done it both ways. My current TA is going through adjustment issues (okay, maybe we both are). She used to be a preschool teacher & still wants to be THE teacher. At the same time, I sometimes have to tell her to get up & help as she's sitting. But the TA I had before was a teacher the year before. She was fantastic! She knew she was the TA was always working with the kids and didn't try to be the teacher.