Two weeks ago, the Kent Reporter published Reen Doser’s guest commentary about Washington State paraeducators. I was incredulous that she did not speak of the successful contribution and professionalism of paraeducators.
As a current paraeducator in the Kent School District, I bring a four-year college degree, a Montessori preschool certificate and four years of teaching preschool, plus over eight years of working as a paraeducator to my work. At my school, 90 percent of the paraeducators have a four-year college degree and have worked as a paraeducator for more than 10 years. I receive over 20 hours of professional training in various topics each school year and supplement that with even more classes after school hours.
There are numerous challenges faced by educators and students alike and an “untrained” paraprofessional would be far down on the list of concerns. Families who move frequently during the school year, troubled homes, uneducated parents, homeless families/children, poverty, shortages of teachers and paraprofessionals, low wages for teachers and paraprofessionals, school budget changes, and frequent curriculum changes create some of the situations I deal with on a daily basis.
These problems show up on faces of students who might be in an intervention group for a month, then move to another school district. It might be the student who is frequently absent because of family issues. It might be a yet another new curriculum to learn and adapt to meet the needs of our diverse student population. It might be a new or veteran teacher who choose not to utilize all the skills paraeducators offer.
These few examples highlight the complexities of the school community that paraeducators encounter. There is not one single reason that these populations struggle, but to stress that the paraeducators serving them are the biggest part of that problem is unreasonable.
I welcome the improvements that SB5179 could bring to the paraeducator workforce. Perhaps my school is unusual with our highly trained and capable “para” population. However, I wish to acknowledge the dedicated daily work and sincere, educated efforts made by my colleagues. It is a disservice to us that Ms. Doser does not applaud all that we do with students amid a myriad of curriculum and staff changes. I know that the students we serve are getting the best we can do under the circumstances and our efforts are driven by our intelligence, training and experience.
Thank you, Ms. Doser, for your support of paraeducators in Washington state, and I hope that you recognize all the amazing work already being done by us.
– Christine Banko
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