Paraeducator Roles and

Responsibilities Guidebook
By: Lindsay Crandall

Defining Roles and Responsibilities for Para Educators:

-You will follow the class procedures and attention getters that I have set my class so that

we are all united in what we do in the classroom.

-You will teach the children as instructed in the lessons plans, you may not adapt them at

your own free will. If you want to change something in the lesson plan, it must come by

me first and you can give me suggestions on changing the lesson plan. I love feedback on

how well the lessons you taught went so I can develop better lesson plans.

-If you ever have a difficult time working with a particular student, where you are both

frustrated quickly and progress is very slow, please come to me so we can brainstorm

together new strategies to try with the student. I will try my best to help you at your job

too since you help me with my job. We will work together to find a solution.

-If you and another para educator OR you and I don't get along to the point where it is

affecting the functionality of my classroom, we will have a discussion. We will talk over

our issues like adults and we will make compromises on figuring out how we can both
 end up being happy. I don't want any hard feelings or anyone to feel miserable in my

classroom. Please tell me if you ever disagree or are not happy with the way I am acting

and I will do the same. Open communication is what will help create unity between all of

us as a team.

-If you ever express a desire to create lessons to be implemented in the classroom, then

you can give me suggestions or we can sit down to write a lesson plan together. I will

never have you make a lesson plan yourself since that is my job, but I am not opposed to

collaborating with you.

-You will abide by my classroom philosophies which are "Believe to Achieve" and

"Virtually nothing is impossible in this world if you just put your mind to it and maintain

a positive attitude." While you are working in my classroom I want you to have a positive

attitude and to believe in all of the student's abilities to become better. Look at them as

their potential.

Paraprofessional Survival Kit:

1. Sticky Notes

2. Extra paper and pencils

3. Mini whiteboards

4. Whiteboard markers

5.Emergency chocolate (for a stressful day)

6. Erasers
5 Interview Questions for Prospective Para Educators:

1. How can you use your talents to help contribute to the classroom?

2. How do you keep a team unified?

3. How important is education to you?

4. Why do you want to work with students with disabilities?

5. What do you hope to learn from being a para educator?

5 Qualifications for Para Educators.

1. Diligent

2. Hard worker

3. Compassionate

4. Obedient to the Rules

5. Always looking for ways to help

5 General Guidelines for all Para Educators in your classroom.

1. Abide by what the teacher says.

2. Ask the teacher for help if you don't understand something.

3. Be positive in every situation that comes about.

4. Don't be afraid to communicate with the teacher about what is working and what isn't working

with students.

5. Get to know the students well and learn to love every student you come in contact with.
Weekly Para Educator Training Meetings

I. How the Classroom Works

a. The Special Education teachers expectations

b. Schedule of when students will come in

c. Assigning which students you will work with

d. The dos and donts of being a para educator

II. Emergency procedures

a. Learning of health issues students have and what to do if anything happens to them

related to their health issues

b. What to do if there is a fire

c. What to do in a school shooting

III. Laws in Special Education

a. Significant case laws that have shaped Special Education

b. FAPE

c. LRE

d. FERPA

IV. Learning about special terms used in Special Education

a. What an IEP is

b. What a BIP is

c. What an accommodation is

d. What is a modification/ how it is different from an accommodation

V. Unity
a. Learning how to better be a more effective team member

b. Learning how to better communicate with team members

VI. Learning about evidence based practices and to better engage students in learning

a. Learning what research says is best when teaching students

b. Brainstorming ways together that the special education can improve their lesson plans to

better help students learn