Career Life
One of the biggest struggles for American teachers is that there are simply not enough hours in the day to meet all the requirements of our profession. According to a Scholastic survey, the average teacher works 11 hour days–over 15 hours of unpaid overtime a week. Still, most teachers feel overwhelmed by the intense workload–communicating with parents, providing tutoring, modifying students’ work to fit a variety of IEPs, providing enrichment and remediation, and keeping immaculate documentation of all accommodations, meetings, professional development, lunch and recess duty, club sponsorships… oh and planning, teaching, and grading. And many teachers tackle this immense workload alone, without a paraprofessional or even a parent volunteer.
Still, schools spend untold amounts of money on ways to help teachers do their jobs better. Every year we are bombarded with professional development, new educational programs or policies, paid speakers, and new (and always improved) curriculum–all of which add to our workload or take time from the work we need to be doing. Instead, what teachers really need is the time and support to do the jobs we love and have trained for. To that end, the best thing schools could do for teachers and their students is to provide every teacher with a paraprofessional for all or part of every school day.
1. A paraprofessional would be able to assist students who require extra help.
Most people who have worked in a co-teaching situation will tell you that students benefit from having two educators in the classroom. There are always kids who need extra help. Some students have special needs or learning differences, and others require closer supervision to stay on task. Average and high-achieving students also need and deserve one-on-one attention from time to time. A paraprofessional in the classroom would ensure that more students get the time and attention they need.
2. An extra adult would make small groups possible.
Not only do students benefit from individual attention, they also benefit from working with a teacher in small groups. Different from group work, learning groups allow a teacher to target the needs of a select group of students and teach to their specific ability, interest, or skill level. Unfortunately, this is much more difficult, as it leaves the rest of the class to work unsupervised. A paraprofessional can pull small groups and work with them while the lead teacher teaches the broader lesson. She can also teach or monitor the rest of the class while the lead teacher works with a group. Either way, two teachers in the classroom is the best hope for this type of learning.
3. A paraprofessional can serve as disciplinarian during teaching time.
Every teacher knows the frustration of having to interrupt instruction in order to deal with negative classroom behaviors. However, with another adult in the room to redirect students who are causing problems or even to remove students (and continue the lesson in the hall) who are a disruption, learning can continue with minimal interruptions. This alone would save teachers and students a tremendous amount of time and frustration.
4. A paraprofessional would help meet student accommodations.
Every year administrators remind teachers how important it is to modify and accommodate for every student with an IEP or 504 as well as for Gifted and Talented students (and preferably for everyone else too, depending on their interests and abilities.) It is exhausting, but fearing job loss because you failed to dot every “i” and cross every “t” is worse. This isn’t to suggest that modifications and accommodations aren’t necessary or beneficial. But the paperwork is taxing and time-consuming. Having another teacher to provide specific accommodations and to help maintain proper documentation would be invaluable to most classroom teachers.
5. A para could help with labs and special projects.
How often do teachers opt out of doing a fun project with their students because the prep is too time-consuming? Having an extra set of hands (and legs) for monitoring and assisting students in a hands-on activity is a dream for most teachers.
6. A para could help create anchor-charts and seasonal and unit-specific classroom bulletin boards.
Admittedly this is the least compelling reason to equip every classroom with a para. Still, there are countless “extras” (many of which have educational benefits) that teachers are forced to abandon because they simply do not have time. A para would be able to make some of those extras happen.
7. Having another teacher in the room would allow teachers to take much-needed restroom breaks.
Teachers often joke about not having time to pee. But in reality, it’s not laughing matter. According to Prevention Magazine, teachers, along with truck drivers and nurses, are more likely than other professionals to suffer from urinary tract infections, despite OSHA regulations that employees must not suffer adverse health effects due to lack of access to the bathroom. It really isn’t too much to ask that teachers be able to use the restroom as needed and without being rushed.
There are obvious advantages to having paraprofessionals in every classroom. Unfortunately, there are no textbook or testing companies, “expert authors,” or technology companies that stand to gain from this solution, so the idea is unlikely to get the backing it needs. However, if schools really care about students, it’s an idea with considering. After all, the best way to support students is to support their teachers, not with an ever-changing barrage of new techniques and requirements that only add to our stress and workload, but with actual help that will allow us to focus on the job we love and that we are trained for–educating kids.
