Previous Article / Next Article
Being in the Long Beach Paraeducator Partnership has opened up new things for us as people and as educators. Each week we take back knowledge, theories, and strategies that help us work with the culturally diverse children in our school district. Communicating with other paraeducators and the support that we give each other are the most rewarding experiences and keep us motivated. The paraeducators in our cohort share information on classes, classroom techniques, how to deal with behavior problems, and the many personal issues we face while working and going to school. We also stay in touch and keep informed through the Web site (http://www.geocities.com/grantprogram). The partnership provides an opportunity for all of us to grow as educators and legitimize what we already do. It gives us an opportunity to shine on our way to becoming teachers, while we are working on our degrees and credentials.
One of the highlights of the program so far happened when our program coordinator asked us to be presenters at the California Paraeducator Conference, and we were shocked because we didn’t think that we had anything to say that anyone wanted to hear. But our conference room filled up quickly with listeners, and we were delighted at the end of our presentation when hands were raised with questions. At the conference we also secured a lot of valuable information to apply, practice, and share in our classrooms. There were more than 1000 paras there just like us, all seeking knowledge. It was truly an amazing experience.
Contributed by Lisa Baldwin and Alayne Pickens, Paraeducators, Long Beach Unified School District, Long Beach, California.
Previous Article / Next Article
Resources: Resources Related to Paraeducators Supporting Students with Disabilities and At-Risk
__________
Citation: Gaylord, V., Wallace, T., Pickett, A. L., and Likins, M. (Eds.). (2002). Impact: Feature Issue on Paraeducators Supporting Students with Disabilities and At-Risk, 15(2) [online]. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration. Available from http://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/152.
__________
Hard copies of Impact are available from the Publications Office of the Institute on Community Integration. The first copy of this issue is free; additional copies are $4 each. You can request copies by phone at 612-624-4512 or E-mail at icipub@umn.edu, or you can fax or mail us an order form. See our listing of other issues of Impact for more information.
The print design version (PDF, 500 K, 32 pp.) of this issue of Impact is also available for free, complete with the color layout and photographs. This version looks the most like the newsletter as it was printed.
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity employer and educator.