good paras/teacher aides

[Anonymous]

Any good experiences? It has not been our experience, so wondering. I feel they can really contribute to the school environment, but also take away.

[Anonymous]

We’ve had some good ones but it’s hit or miss like teachers. They are minimum wage and don’t get benefits.

[Anonymous]

They get paid very little. What do you expect?

[Anonymous]

I have worked for MCPS for almost 30 years and have seen more good than bad ones. But both exist.

[Anonymous]

It’s crazy to me that para supported classes count as the same as co-teacher supported classes.

Most paras I’ve had support my classes have contributed nothing, can’t remember student names or accommodations, and mess up even simple jobs like checking homework planners.

There just aren’t that many capable people in this county who are willing to work for so little.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s crazy to me that para supported classes count as the same as co-teacher supported classes.

Most paras I’ve had support my classes have contributed nothing, can’t remember student names or accommodations, and mess up even simple jobs like checking homework planners.

There just aren’t that many capable people in this county who are willing to work for so little.

Yes, paras need to be trained and paid much better. The schools my kids went to had many paras who were parents (at lot of SAHM) wanting to get back out there. We were lucky because most of them were highly educated. Some took advantage of the county education benefits to become teachers. In addition, these were not people relying on the income to pay their bills. Paras can't make a decent living in MCPS.