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The PARAgraph, Utah's Newsletter for School Paraprofessionals (Back
to the Table of Contents)
Volume 1 Issue 1 (Fall 2002)
Welcome!
Marilyn Likins
Co-Director
National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals
Welcome to Utah’s first newsletter for para-professionals! This newsletter
is the first of its kind in Utah and we hope that with state and district support
we can continue to offer a first class publication created specifically for
you. Regardless of whether your job title is paraprofessional, teacher’s
aide, speech therapy assistant, instructional assistant, intervener, classroom
reduction assistant, direct care provider, or paraeducator, this newsletter
is for you. These numerous job titles (and there are many more) reflect the
variety of roles and responsibilities you assume as key members of an instructional
team. If you have been in your profession for more than 4 or 5 years, you are
well aware of how much your duties have changed. You are no longer merely responsible
for creating bulletin boards, taking roll, or making duplications. Today’s
paraprofessionals are found in elementary or secondary classrooms providing
accommodations for students with special needs, supervising on the playground
or bus, serving as a job coach in the community for students with moderate to
severe disabilities, conducting small group sessions in reading and math, working
in early childhood programs or assisting non-English speaking students. The
list of different responsibilities that para-educators assume is very long!
And did you know that there are over 8,000 paraprofessionals assisting teachers
and other service providers in Utah? With ever-increasing student needs and
rising enrollment, the classroom teacher, resource teacher or related service
provider can no longer do it all; districts and agencies have turned to you
to help meet the numerous and diverse needs of Utah children. In fact, when
it comes to working with children, you are often the person on the "front
line". As such, it is vital that you have the knowledge and skills to do
your job. Be proactive. Take advantage of opportunities to improve your skills
....seek them out.... ask your district for training ...be informed... and above
all read. One purpose of this newsletter and our other new addition, the Utah
Paraprofessional Website (www. utahpara. org) is to keep you informed of training
classes and workshops across the state. The State Paraeducator Conference is
one such opportunity that I hope you’ve been able to take advantage of!
My hat is off to Jill Morgan who has been a driving force behind the development
of this newsletter. Her insistence that Utah paraprofessionals deserved to have
a publication that addressed their specific needs has never wavered.
Finally, following the events of September 11, I received an e-mail containing
the following quote:
"We define ourselves by the best that is in us, not the worst that has
been done to us." --Edward Lewis.
At this time of uncertainty in our lives, I believe these words reflect the
power that you have to make a difference in the lives of our children. Accept
the challenge.
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