12 Ways to Improve and Enhance Your Paraprofessional- Teacher Experience

1.  Communicate with each other. One of the most important aspects of an effective working relationship between the paraprofessional, special educator, teacher, or specialist is clear and consistent communication and organization. It is critical to communicate frequently and use organizing tools that can help define roles, define expectations, and set parameters for class norms as part of the process.
  
2.  While the teacher is up front leading, it is important that the paraeducator moves around the room. This allows him or her to be near their assigned students, but also allows them some space in order to develop independence. 
  
3.  Have a welcome interview with your team. For example a team might be a special educator, a general educator, and a paraprofessional. Learn more about one another and develop an initial understanding of your roles and responsibilities.

4.  It is important to have a harmonious working relationship in the classroom, so the paraprofessional/teacher team should discuss in advance how they will approach lesson planning, student instruction, student behavior, and communication. Questions like 'Who?' and 'How?' and 'When?' are good.
  
5.  Treat each other as equals - teachers and paraprofessionals are both essential members of the teaching team.  As a teacher, I always treated my paraprofessionals with respect and as an equal and that always enhanced my relationships and the effectiveness of the paraprofessionals in my classroom.
  
6.  Teachers - Empower the paraprofessional to monitor behavior and support the discipline process in the classroom. This empowerment will be worth millions when you must leave the classroom with a substitute knowing that you have challenging students in the room.  You will be able to rest more comfortably knowing that the paraprofessional can handle the class and that students will respect that person's authority.
 
7.  Discuss goals, priorities, and plans with each other on a daily basis.  Sometimes this may mean stealing a few minutes of time before class, while students are doing a quiet seat activity or after class.  Communication is critical, not only to the success of students in the classroom, but also to the teaching relationship.
 
8.  Discuss classroom issues with each other, especially when the issue is related to the student the paraprofessional is working with.  Teachers and paraprofessionals oftentimes have different views, therefore sharing diverse ideas and possible solutions could be invaluable to a difficult situation.
 
9.  When an educator (paraprofessional or teacher) is working with a student or several students, avoid interrupting. Interruption undermines the educator's authority with the students and often causes distress and possible conflict. 
 
10.  Take notes and document those notes on easy to remember or easy to use forms or compile them in a binder with rules, expectations, and a syllabus, so that they can be referred to throughout the year.  This is critical for paraprofessionals who are working with more than one teacher because each teacher may have different expectations (These forms are available in Susan's Book, Paraprofessionals and Teachers Working Together). 
 
11.  Model how you want things done. For example, model for the paraprofessional how to administer tests, or model the difference between "cuing" a student to remember an answer vs. giving the student the answer.

12.  Provide scripts when necessary to assist in responding to student behavior (Sample scripts are available in the classroom management chapter of Susan's Book, Paraprofessionals and Teachers Working Together).

The Bullied Child

Bullying has become a common experience for many children and teens throughtout our nation daily.  Recent surveys from the United States Department of Justice, indicate that as many as half of all children that enter their school threshold daily are bullied at some time during their school year, and at least 30% are children with special needs...FACT!

Bullying behavior can be physical, verbal, racial, ethinic, and via our technological advancements.  Boys tend to use physical intimidation or threats, regardless of the gender of their victims.  Bullying by girls is more often verbal, usually with another girl as the target. Bullying has even been reported in on-line facebook, my space, through e-mail and on social networking sites.

Children who are bullied experience real suffering that can interfere with their social and emotional development, as well as their school performance. Some victims of bullying have even attempted suicide rather than continue to endure such harassment and punishment.

Children and teens who bully thrive on controlling or dominating others through their pwer base.  They have often been the victims of physical abuse or bullying themselves.  Bullies may also be depressed, angry or upset about events at school or at home.  Children targeted by bullies also tend to fit a particular profile.  Bullies often choose children who are passive, easily intimidated, or have few friends.  Victims may also be smaller or younger, and have a harder time defending themselves.  This is why special needs children are bullied so often.

If you suspect your child is being bullied, it's most important to seek help for him or her as soon as possible, from his or her teacher, guidance counselor, or principal.  Without intervention, bullying can lead to serious academic, social, emotional and legal difficulties.  Talk to your child's pediatrician, teacher, principal, school counselor, or family physician. If the bullying continues, a comprehensive evaluation by a child and adolescent psychologist or other mental health professional should be arranged.  The evaluation can help you and your child understand what is causing the bullying, and help you develop a plan to stop the destructive behavior.

If you suspect your child may be the victim of bullying ask him or her to tell you what's going on immediatly. You can help by providing lots of opportunities to talk with you in an open and honest way.  And please take your children seriously...

It is also very important to respond in a positive and accepting manner. Let your child know it is not his or her fault, and that he or she did the right thing by telling you.  Please assure them that it is NOT tattling at all.  Other specific suggestions include the following:   

• Ask your child what he or she thinks should be done.  What's already been tried?  What worked and what didn't?
• Seek help from your child's teacher or the school guidance counselor.  Most bullying occurs on playgrounds, in lunchrooms, and bathrooms, on school buses or in unsupervised halls.  Ask the school administrators to find out about programs other schools and communities have used to help combat bullying, such as peer mediation, conflict resolution, and anger management training, and increased adult supervision. 
• Don't encourage your child to fight back.  Instead, suggest that he or she try walking away to avoid the bully, or that they seek help from a teacher, coach, or other adult.  
• Help your child practice what to say to the bully so he or she will be prepared the next time.
• Help your child practice being assertive.  The simple act of insisting that the bully leave him alone may have a surprising effect.  Explain to your child that the bully's true goal is to get a response.
• Encourage your child to be with friends when traveling back and forth from school, during shopping trips, or on other outings.  Bullies are less likely to pick on a child in a group.

If your child becomes withdrawn, depressed or reluctant to go to school, or if you see a decline in school performance, it is a clear sign that bullying is occuring and that further intervention is immediatly required.

Defining and Measuring Giftedness

In truth, there is no universally-accepted definition of gifted.  For some, being gifted could mean having an extraordinary ability in, say, music, art or athletics.  Others might argue that those strong in leadership skills are gifted.  However, experts typically use IQ scores to measure giftedness.  In fact, giftedness is a continuum, with a range consisting of five levels.  So not all giftedness is created equal, and it is very lonely at the top.  The higher the IQ score, the smaller the pool of individuals that share it.  No wonder many gifted kids feel isolated and different - in many ways they are!

IQ Tests & Giftedness

IQ tests, as they are known, are tests that measure an individual’s intellectual ability or potential.  They do not measure what someone has learned already.  IQ tests measure innate ability.

Group IQ tests are sometimes given to an entire class to screen for gifted programs, but individual IQ tests, given one-on-one by a trained examiner, provide more reliable results and a great deal more information.  Typically, parents who want their child tested must go outside of the school/school district and pay for an assessment.  While there are IQ tests for children as young as 2 years of age, most professionals believe waiting until a child is 5 or 6 offers results that are likely to stay stable over time.

Giftedness in our population

What percentage of our population is gifted?  This is a subject of some debate.  Many experts would tell you that only 3-5% of the population is gifted.  Looking at the data below, using a 130 point IQ score as a basis for giftedness, then less than 3% of the population is gifted.

Either way, it is clear that a child that is on any level of the gifted spectrum is very unique and will probably stand out from his or her peers in the classroom or in a social situation.  In future blogs, I will discuss how gifted kids are different and have different needs, as well as examples of enrichment programs that I’ve researched and can recommend to you.

                                                                                    Source:  www.adifferentplace.org

Five Levels of Giftedness: The Scores & What They Mean

There are a number of IQ tests, but parents are generally most familiar with the Wechsler tests (WHPPSI or WISC) and the Stanford-Binet (SB).  IQ scores for our population fall along a bell-shaped curve, meaning that 50% of the population scores around the average (IQ scores of 90-109) and as the curve drops on either end, the percentage of people scoring in that range gets smaller and smaller.  We can divide those upper levels of IQ into various levels, each with their own characteristics.

Mildly Gifted

• IQ scores of 115-129, represent the 90th-98th percentiles
• what most of us think of as bright
• make up a large proportion of students in gifted programs
• like being read to before age one
• can do simple addition and subtraction before age four
• reading 2-3 years beyond grade level by age seven
• parents realize children are not being challenged and contact someone for help between grades two and four

Moderately gifted

• IQ scores of 130-144, represent approximately 98th - 99th percentiles
• can pay attention while being read to by five to nine months
• can count to 5 (or higher) by age two
• know many sight words and may be reading by age four
• master most kindergarten skills by age four
• are independent on the computer by age four and a half
• are impatient with the repetition and slow pace of school by age six to seven

Highly gifted

• IQ scores of 145-159, represent approximately 98th - 99th percentiles
• independently look at and turn pages of books before ten months
• question santa or the tooth fairy by age three or four
• rarely go through any stage of phonetically sounding out words
• intense interest in mazes between ages four and five
• spontaneously read (with or without instruction) before kindergarten
• read 2-5 years beyond grade level by age six

Exceptionally gifted

• IQ scores of 160-179, represent the 99th percentile
• books are a favorite interest by three to four months
• knows entire alphabet by fifteen to twenty-two months
• at four or five years can perform many academic and intellectual functions of an eight year old
• reading for pleasure and information by age five
• can play adult level card games and board games by age five and a half
• most are capable of completing all academic work through 8th grade by 3rd or 4th grade
• these are the kids that attend college at ages ten, eleven, and twelve

Profoundly gifted

• IQ scores of 180+, represent above the 99th percentile
• knows numbers, letters, colors, and shapes before they can talk
• can speak in full, complex sentences by fifteen months
• have kindergarten skills by age two
• spontaneously reads, understand fairly complex math problems, and has existential concerns by ages four to five (with or without instruction)
• frequently one parent must postpone their career to advocate for their child’s education

What a Gifted Child Needs

As you can see, gifted children have unique characteristics that require modifications to the typical educational setting.  An educational consultant can work with you to identify your child's needs and formulate an plan to address your child's profile.

Bullying and the Effects on our Children

The effects of bullying are very serious and both the child who bullies and is bullied have long-term risk factors for a series of negative consequences.  This on-going issue is now treated with such seriousness by many, that in the early part of the 2000s, both the American Medical Association and Department of Jusitce came out with stringent guidelines for physicans and law enforcement officials to look for the symptoms of children being bullied in order to intervene early.  Yet one thing has become particularly clear, and that is that less obvious bullying behavior is not always recognized.  Psychological and even on-line bullying involving simple things like teasing, may be just as damaging as bullying that threatens violence or demands obedience.

Studies estimate that about a third to a fourth of children will routinely experience bullying.  In early school years, children may not be particularly singled out for differences but gender, ethnic, and sexual preference related bullying becomes more common at the secondary level.  The figure of those affected is relatively stark; 30% or more of kids will have the experience of being made to feel bad, unwelcome, abnormal, frightened or physically threatened, and possibly injured.

It is not surprising that children begin to manifest effects of bullying in a variety of symptoms.  These include higher absenteeism, which makes logical sense for children trying to avoid a negative environment.  Younger and older children, and even those outside of school may begin to have significant issues with depression and/or anxiety.  In fact, risk for developing long-term mental health issues greatly increases as self-esteem is regularly assaulted.

The very nature of the bullied child may change as part of the effects of bullying.  He or she may toughen up, which means often being less sensitive to others.  Some children who are bullied even become bullies.  Other children get less aggressive and withdraw from their peers or family.

The effects of bullying are not limited to the children who are bullied.  Allowing children to bully places them at high risk for poor social adjustment later in life.  Though recent statistics do not agree on this matter, there is a small to large potential for children who act in this manner to act criminally at a later point. 

Bully behavior also suggests poor parenting with less attention than is useful to development.  Correcting that behavior and the situations from which it arises early may be a saving grace to all involved. It’s also been posited that the bully model may not be accurate, and that children in well-adjusted families can become bullies and are less often suspected of this behavior. 

The trouble with the effects of bullying is that even schools do not always document it or investgate it.  Certain things that seem overt get banned, but there are many insidious ways in which one child or group can bully another child.  Cyber Bullying has proven to be one of these areas, and simply flinging constant, but not swear word, insults at someone else is another method of emotional bullying.  These “softer” bullying forms prove not to be much less damaging that more recognizable forms of bullying; yet many schools draw a line at prohibiting the overt bully behavior and do not always catch more subtle actions.