Paraprofessional or CDA?

Question

which is more rewarding? and and what are the pros and cons

Answer 1

What is a CDA?   I am a para-educator working in special education and it is very rewarding.  I work at the elementary level and even the tiniest steps of improvement seem really huge!  When a student writes so you can read it, that is fantastic.  When they read a sentence in a very basic book, that is outstanding.  When they recognize sight words with no prompts from me, woohoo!  My day is made!

The cons to working as a para:  hourly pay and fewer perks.  If I had to live on my pay, even if I was single with no kids, I would have to work a second job to survive!

Pro:  the special ed teacher has to handle all the paperwork that is required for IEP's and CST's and all the other stuff.  The teacher also does the evaluation of students for determination of placement in special ed.  The teacher is also ultimately responsible for the lesson plans and content of what we teach our kids.