Paraeducators: You were born under a "Wandering Star!"

Paras, you were born under a
“Wandering Star”?
Dr. Ashleigh Molloy
President: TransEd Institute.
amolloy@transedinstitute.org

Objectives
• To demonstrate the role played by the Para in
student success
• To examine the value added service
component to the school district
• To explore the comparison between a para
and a star through the voice of parents,
students and colleagues

Greetings from Lindsey Molloy 
“Hello everyone, my name is Lindsey. Dr. Ash is my dad.
Enjoy yourself, happy learning. Goodbye. “

What are Paras?
(My Take)
• Paras are like…
- BAYER ASPIRIN
“They work miracles.”
- FORD
“They have better ideas.”

What are Paras? (My Take)
– NIKE
“They just do it.”
– Energizer Batteries
“They keep going, going,
and going.”

– NOKIA
“They connect people.”
– APPLE COMPUTERS
“They think outside the box”

– IMAX
“They think BIG.”
– General Electric
“They are imagination at work.”

But Most of all…Paras are like
- FROSTED FLAKES
“They’re GRRRRREAT!!!!!”
www.transedinstitute.org

ParaEducators
• WHO Are WE?
• The changing landscape of public education has had a significant impact
on the roles of support professionals who serve in our schools. Increasing
numbers of English language learners, and the rising enrollment of
students with disabilities and other special needs are just some of the
factors that make the need for a dynamic school team more necessary
than ever.
• In this challenging environment, paraeducators -- also known as
paraprofessionals -- play an increasingly critical role in improving student
achievement.
• Paraeducator means "along side of " and like their counterparts in the
medical fields -- paralegal and paramedics -- they assist and support the
work team in a variety of ways.
• In many districts, these special professionals live in the school
neighborhood, speak the language of the students and provide a special
liaison to the community and its culture.

Getting Educated: Paraeducators
• "The range and flexibility of paraeducator
positions make it difficult for most folks to
understand exactly where our role begins and
ends. We are the mortar that fits where it
needs to fit to keep the whole structure
together." -Sandie Blankenship, Special
Education Paraeducator, North Kingstown,
Rhode Island

MYTH #1:
• "Assisting in a classroom or school isn't
challenging. There's no need for professional
development.“
• It didn't take long to realize that Paras would
need ongoing professional development to
meet the complex needs of their students.

MYTH #2:
• "There is no room for career growth as a
paraprofessional.“
• Louisiana Para Iona Holloway
• "It's becoming a widely known fact:
paraprofessionals are integral to successful
schools" she says. "And with new requirements
demanded by the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act, now is the time to think about
becoming highly qualified so that you can
advance into teaching if that's what you want."

MYTH #2:
• Dr. Cathy Wooley-Brown, who developed
Florida's Paraprofessionals as Teachers Program
• "Put simply, the paraprofessionals are the people
who know the kids and the climate of the
school," she adds. Not only do they already have
hands-on classroom experience, but
"paraeducators also offer ethnic diversity and a
level of maturity that directly benefits school
districts. And because they are already a part of
the community and local schools, they are
unlikely to move away

Rey
• “She's completely self-sufficient and does everything for
herself, until she meets [Finn] and an adventure begins.”

Definition of a Star
• A fixed luminous point in the night sky that is
a large, remote incandescent body like the
sun
• An object in the sky that sends out its own
light

Activity
• Discuss and describe how a Para could be
similar to a star?

The Force Awakens
• Paras are the force that awakens their
students to learning.
• self esteem
• physical comforts
• socialization
• life skills

Define a Relationship
• The way in which two or more people feel and
behave towards each other

Observations of those being
serviced by Paras

Eva – Special Ed Teaching Assistant

Requirements for becoming a
Paraeducator in Illinois
• Paraeducators, or paraprofessionals as they
are called in the state of Illinois, work as
teacher aides.
• Paraprofessionals support teacher interactions
with students by providing tutoring, helping
students learn curriculum, aiding in classroom
instruction and organizing materials for
classroom instruction.

Next, let’s play with some words.
What do you see?
Que es lo que ves?

In black you can read the word GOOD, in white
the word EVIL (inside each black letter is a
white letter.
En negro puedes leer la palabra GOOD, en
blanco la palabra EVIL

You may not see it a first, but the white spaces
read the word optical, the blue landscape
reads the word illusion. Look again! Can you
see why this painting is called an optical
illusion?

Last one.
What do you see?
Que lo que ves?

You probably read the word ME in brown, but…….
When you look through ME
You will see
YOU!
Tu te veras a ti y a mi.

Test Your Brain
This is really cool. The second one is amazing so
please read all the way through.

OBSERVATION TEST
(I love this part...its absolutely amazing!) Count
every “F” in the following text:

Experience
Brain Processing Challenges
Procesamiento del cerebro

Visual
Perception:
What is this
a picture of?

We all look at the same image but may not all process the information in the same way.
Looking at the image “in different ways” allows everyone an opportunity to process the image
of the Dalmatian
Does it help if the image is blackened-out?

Does it help if the photo is in more detail?

Spatial
Perception:
La percepcion
espacial
What is this a
picture of?
HORSE
or
FROG?

HORSE
CABALLO
When the position of the picture changes, the meaning of the image
changes and it affects the way we perceive it.
FROG
RANA

Can you
find seven
dolphins?
Puedes
encontrar
los siete
delfines?

A LITTLE HELP
CAN MAKE A
DIFFERENCE!
Now Find
Them….

Say the colour!
not the word YELLOW BLUE ORANGE
AMARILLO AZUL NARANJA
BLACK RED GREEN
NEGRO ROJO VERDE
PURPLE YELLOW RED
MORADO AMARILLO ROJO
ORANGE GREEN BLACK
MORADO VERDE NEGRO
BLUE RED PURPLE
AZUL ROJO MORADO
GREEN BLUE ORANGE
VERDE AZUL NARANJA
Does your brain get jammed
up when processing two
tasks simultaneously?
The brain gets mixed
messages and finds it difficult
to re-focus with the two
stimuli
Your right brain tries to say
the color but your left brain
insists on reading the word.

You are the “CHEERLEADER”
that encourages students to
be the best that they can be
You are the COMFORTER
when life exposes students
to hurtful experiences
You are the PARTNER who teams up
with the teachers to form a dynamic
duo that assists with their learning
Role Model
Transformation Education Institute
Copyright 2010

You are the SUPPORTER as
students navigate their daily
living challenges
You are the ADVOCATE and thus
a “voice” for students
You are the PROMOTER for
students’ independence as you
work to prepare them to be as self
sufficient as they can possibly
be given their different abilities
Role Model
Transformation Education Institute
Copyright 2010

Definition of a Bridge
A structure built over a depression or obstacle
for use as a passageway

Bridge builder as an enabler
accommodating change
• Definition:
• A Visionary (Forward thinking)
• One who sees the positive possibilities
resulting from change
• One who sees change as a form of growth

Bridge Builders Promote Accessibility
• Definition: Capacity to enter

Physical Accessibility (Environmental/
Classroom)

Social Accessibility
• Provide opportunities for students to
participate with their able bodied peers in
their classroom community
• Validate a classroom environment that
promotes differences as the norm
• Ensure that respect is embedded in your
teaching practice
• To enable all students to learn and succeed
together

Builders of Community
• “People need to feel they are welcome”
• We need to unwrap the gifts of individual
differences
• A gift is defined as a special ability , capacity,
or talent

Glass of water: Question?
• Is the glass half full or half empty?
• Pessimist or Optimist?
• Bridge Builders are optimistic and belie in the
possibilities and potential of ALL their
students

When you wish upon a star
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you
When a star is born
They possess a gift or two.
One of them is this
They have the power to make a wish come true.

Thank God I’m A Para Pro
V.1
Well life as a Para is never laid back
Nothin’ really much us Paras can’t HACK.
Its late to bed rise early from the sack
Thank God I’m a Para pro.
V.2
Well wouldn’t trade my role for diamonds or jewels.
I never was one of those money hungry fools.
I’d rather work with kids use my skills and tools.
Chorus
Well I got me a fine job, ideas on the griddle
When the sun comes up I feel as fit as a fiddle.
Life for me really is no riddle
Cause I know that I help schools sizzle.
V.3
Well Paras serve students with their different needs.
Treating them with dignity and doing good deeds.
Workin with the teachers and fellow colleagues.
Composed as a tribute to honor paras at NRC Conference
Dr.Ashleigh Molloy AKA “Dr. Ash”

Paraeducator Web Resources
• The NEA Paraeducator Handbook
• The NEA Paraeducator Handbook: Providing Ongoing Professional
Development
• Results-Oriented Job Descriptions: How Paraeducators Help
Students Achieve
• Roles for Education Paraprofessionals
• Let's Team Up
• National Clearinghouse for Paraeducator Resources
• National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals
• Project PARA
• Designing State and Local Policies for the Professional Development
of Instructional Paraeducators
• Guide to Developing Paraprofessional to Teacher Toolkit
• Roles for Education Paraprofessionals in Effective Schools: An Idea
Book

Thank You!amolloy@transedinstitute.org
www.transedinstitute.org
Merci Obrigado
Muchos Gracias Salamat
Cam Ung
Rahmet Megwich Spasibo
Kitos Grazie

Paraeducators: You were born under a "Wandering Star!"

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Tendances

Tendances (19)

En vedette

En vedette (15)

Similaire à Paraeducators: You were born under a "Wandering Star!"

Similaire à Paraeducators: You were born under a "Wandering Star!" (20)

Plus de National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals

Plus de National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals (16)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

Paraeducators: You were born under a "Wandering Star!"