Sped teachers: When you have a para or aide in your classroom do you....?

Question

include his/her name on correspondence that goes home to parents?

I am a special ed teacher of a small class and one of the students is assigned a 1:1 paraprofessional, however the para is very involved and helps with all the kids. I'm currently drafting several letters to parents introducing myself and explaining my expectations and classroom procedures.

If you have a similar arrangement, do you include the para's name on correspondence as well?

Answer 1

i don't think you should include the para's name if he/she is not really designated to handle the other kids, to avoid possible problems in the future. remember, the para is supposed to work on the kid assigned to him/her, therefore he/she is responsible ONLY to that kid. you, as the special ed teacher, is responsible for the whole class.

you may however mention that there is a person who assists you FROM TIME TO TIME to carry out your classroom procedures/ when the need arise. this is to appease (?)  the parents who may wonder (or worry!) how on earth would you be able to handle all kids! hehe

or you could ask for your OWN teacher aid! then you can introduce him/her to the parents. :)

hope this helps..

Answer 2

I include my assistant's name. She is a very important part of our class, and she contributes to everything we do.

Answer 3

I'd at least offer.  She can write a paragraph of introduction of herself, especially if you do the letter in a newsletter style.

Answer 4

I would include her--the children may go home talking about Ms. soandso--and the parents would want to know what adults tehir children ahve regualr contact with---you could specify there is a 1:1 aide assisting an (unnamed) student in teh class.