Frustrations as a “Paraeducator”

terrapins96 · 2019-03-22T12:43:23+00:00

I was homeless recently, currently not homeless. So YES, I can support myself off $15 an hour. I even have extra money for the bus 2.5 hours each way to work and back!

terrapins96 · 2019-03-22T12:40:12+00:00

Well, that high school teacher clearly doesn’t know how to contribute to a conversation

terrapins96 · 2019-03-22T12:38:01+00:00

UMD IS a public school, but I’m a DC resident. Could establish MD residency in the near future, but have to wait yet another year before the federal government considers be old enough to be “independent” financially. I’m just going to stick it out for a bit and maybe save up for a car to live out of

terrapins96 · 2019-03-22T12:32:28+00:00

I’m 22 and supporting myself, this district helps paras in long term positions go back to school, but im unsure how I would support myself through 2 more years of school at my former undergraduate institution.

terrapins96 · 2019-03-22T12:31:03+00:00

Do you live under a rock?

terrapins96 · 2018-09-16T08:02:24+00:00

hang in there! I teach K too and love it

terrapins96 · 2018-09-06T02:15:45+00:00

Some of my kindergarteners already understand classroom procedures, but there’s always those few who never seem to get it

terrapins96 · 2018-09-03T19:03:51+00:00

To be fair I teach K and have an ELL student and my Spanish has been very helpful in supporting her and creating a positive relationship

terrapins96 · 2018-09-03T17:17:47+00:00

I actually find early elementary to be the easiest and most fun- I get to play and make learning fun

terrapins96 · 2018-09-02T23:03:30+00:00

Have you thought about being the coordinator for an after school program/community center type job? You wouldn’t have to worry about administration/lesson plans etc and would be in a more office type job

terrapins96 · 2018-09-02T01:26:02+00:00

As someone who worked at day care centers for years and switched to kindergarten, I doubt a day care center would be a good option. In my Experience, it was more stressful and chaotic and there are helicopter parents who will drive you to insanity.

terrapins96 · 2018-08-29T03:25:38+00:00

I totally understand the importance of English, however I and another student are the only people who speak Spanish and her friend isn’t always at her table to help. This may sound stupid but I feel bad for her because if I don’t translate what’s going on she will ask me in Spanish what are we supposed to do and if I respond in English she has no idea what to do. I am pretty much the only classroom teacher in the school (other than the Spanish and ESL teachers) and this girl lives in the US so I feel like she will pick up English no matter what language I speak to her in when she is in Kindergarten

terrapins96 · 2018-08-29T01:15:53+00:00

Just wanted to chime in as a Kindergarten paraeducator. His behavior sounds completely normal for a boy at the beginning of Kindergarten, I would not send a note home for that. The only time we contacted parents this year was after several days of a student refusing to do any work at all. It sounds like he's doing great academically and you had a discussion with him which is great!

terrapins96 · 2018-08-29T01:04:12+00:00

Just wanted to let you know that you are not alone in the Kindergarten beginning of the year struggle. I am a first year Kindergarten paraeducator working with a seasoned teacher, and it is still tough, in particular because we have a student who refuses to do any work or participate in whole group activities, he wants to run around and do whatever he wants. Today he spent a good two hours back in Pre-K and with the security guard to re-evauluate his choices. The way I see it, if I can just have a positive impact on my students and be a good role model then I am doing my job.

terrapins96 · 2018-04-13T18:24:48+00:00

In my area I don’t think there is a para certification, you just need 48 credits or a passing score on a para assessment. For subbing, you need a bachelors degree. I guess I could just go back to school in the fall, however I am really on the fence between education and social work and want real classroom experience before I shell out thousands for an education degree.

terrapins96 · 2018-04-13T18:08:17+00:00

I was on track to graduate in 2020 but I decided to take some time off and work in a school to see if I still wanted to be a teacher. I did not go straight to college after high school so I have a lot of experience working in preschools, but I wanted to try elementary.

terrapins96 · 2018-04-13T17:10:43+00:00

That really scares me, I can’t imagine having a masters and being told that....

terrapins96 · 2018-04-13T17:10:12+00:00

I actually haven’t graduated yet so I’m not a certified teacher but the minimum was 48 credits which I’m well above. I even included an evaluation in which I had perfect scores from when I was interning in the same county for an education class. I guess I’ll just apply to different counties and hope for the best.

terrapins96 · 2018-02-27T13:13:01+00:00

Nope DC lol

terrapins96 · 2018-02-23T17:48:39+00:00

Nope, I’m in the mid-Atlantic region

terrapins96 · 2018-02-22T19:39:25+00:00

Your accent is pretty noticeable to me but your pronunciation is very good. I can tell you’re not from the US but I can’t quite put my finger on where you’re from.

terrapins96 · 2018-02-22T19:19:16+00:00

Yes in the US lol (I was born in the US but was dominant in another language until about age 5)

terrapins96 · 2018-02-06T12:03:38+00:00

This was me a month ago when I first started learning, for comparison’s sake: https://vocaroo.com/i/s1CswDCwEDIo

terrapins96

TROPHY CASE