A paraprofessional educator, also known as a teacher’s aide, supports the teacher in the classroom by working one-on-one with students, organizing activities, and providing assistance. They are not licensed to teach but can help struggling students and provide a safety backup for the teacher. However, they should not be given administrative tasks outside of their intended role.
A paraprofessional educator is placed inside a classroom to help the teacher. Although not licensed to teach, the paraprofessional educator usually works one-on-one with a child or organizes classroom activities for the teacher. Often referred to as a teacher’s aide, a paraprofessional educator is a certified assistant who is intended to play a supportive role for the teacher and is not intended to actually teach or lead the classroom. In a special education role, there may be more than one paraprofessional assigned to each classroom, with the actual number of assistants being factored in by the number of students in the classroom.
The typical paraprofessional educator acts in the best interests of both the student and the teacher, playing a very important role in the often overcrowded classroom environments that are seen in some school systems. The modern paraprofessional educator is able to help students who are struggling with a particular subject while the teacher performs other functions. It is not uncommon for the paraprofessional educator to surveil students while tests are taking place or to give grades to the teacher while other classes are being taught. Occasionally, the advisor will help a small group of children in an area of study that is proving difficult for all of them.
In some classrooms that are highly stressful or that serve troubled students, the paraprofessional educator acts not only as an educator, but as a safety backup for the teacher. Increasing the number of adults in the classroom is often the first step in a show of strength aimed at maintaining a safe learning environment for students. Unfortunately, this often leads to the aide providing services in the classroom that should not be addressed by an aide. The aide is usually left to deliver most of the educational material while the teacher is addressing a behavioral issue with a student, parent, or both.
Many administrative tasks are routinely handed over to the teaching assistant as the teacher becomes bogged down with excessive workloads or difficulties in the classroom. This often creates a problem, as the paraprofessional educator is not trained or intended to perform this type of task. There are strict rules and guidelines for the responsibilities and duties of a paraprofessional educator within the classroom that must be respected. Functioning in the intended role, the teaching assistant is often a valuable tool in the classroom and a positive trait in meeting children’s educational needs.
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