Hi, I had a question about para responsibilities, and I don't want to be offensive to my staff, but I thought I could ask it here first. We have 3 kinder classes and 2 pre-k class, and all of them have paras. The pre-k paras are supposted to sit in our rooms during specials but they "don't have to help with behavior" which I don't understand. One pre-K para is pretty good about staying with her class, but one never shows up-and I am stuck with 25 4 year olds by myself. The kinders classes don't have their paras sit in on the classes. While there are two classes that don't need their para, one really really does!!:help: They lose their minds in any special (not just mine), rip off my bulletin boards, fight, cry, pee themselves, etc. Two thirds of them cannot write their name (I was looking at their bulletin board in the building, and a lot of their work is written in by the teacher). If the classroom teacher needs assistance from a para, why wouldn't specialists? If I'm totally wrong, correct me-but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask
At my school, our PreK paras attend gym with the kids. The paras in K are all 1:1 aides, at least in theory, so they have to stay. I've subbed places where the aides stay if necessary but aren't always there for specials; depends on the needs of the kids. The aides are entitled to lunch/break, also... That being said, you probably need to check the contract or expectations of the school, because every school is different...
I don't know if this applies to your question b/c I'm a para at a high school, but I've noticed that our scheduling is crazy. We might be assigned to a room but get pulled to go sub a class. Or we'll be assigned to a room but also scheduled for a diaper change. Or we'll be assigned to a room but have to figure out where in there we'll take our lunch break. And then our teachers wonder where all the paras went. Since they can't really plan for us, they don't, and then that makes it worse, b/c when we are in there, we're not sure what our role is to be for the day, so I just make myself available. I hate it though that the teachers are left w/ the impression that we're not doing our job, when in fact we're running our butts off.
I have a para in my class and she is required to go with my full time students to specials. Sometimes the specials teacher will tell her she can leave, but, the majority of the time she stays. I give her a 45 minute duty free time later for break and lunch.
