CASE STUDY ONE: A Change of Teacher

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INTRODUCTION

This student companion website offers a selection of case studies relating to the employment, training and supervision of paraprofessionals. Each case study addresses a variety of issues that may arise when paraprofessionals and teachers work together in the classroom, because merely sharing students and workspace does not guarantee effective working relationships. The case studies provide you with opportunities to consider potential problem situations before they arise in your own working environment. This allows you to think through a situation without the complication of being personally involved, and to be pro-active in planning steps you can take to prevent difficulties that could otherwise arise in your working relationships with other adults. Careful consideration of situations that you may encounter in the future makes you more aware of how you work with those around you and prepares you to deal most effectively with difficulties that could occur.

These case studies are actual situations that paraprofessionals, teachers, and administrators have found themselves in, and that they have related to the authors. Names and places have, of course, been changed. Each case deals with common but critical professional and interpersonal issues that need to be discussed and resolved by educators as they work together in their own particular settings.

This activity contains 3 questions.

PART ONE: A Paraprofessional Perspective

You are a paraprofessional in an elementary school, and work in a classroom for students who are emotionally disturbed. The class consists of 5th and 6th graders who happen to be all boys. You have worked in this class for the last five years with a very organized, experienced teacher. However, that teacher has taken a break from special education and is teaching a regular education class in a different school this year. You have loved working with these students and know that you have been successful in the past, so you are excited to continue working with last year's 5th graders as they move to 6th grade, and to see a new group of 5th graders experience success with your support.

Of course, one of the difficulties of working with a cross-grade group is that you and the 6th graders are used to the routine from the past, whereas the new 5th graders are not and it takes a little time for them to familiarize themselves with class routines. However, this year life is complicated by the fact that the new teacher is also unfamiliar with the routines - in fact there really doesn't seem to be much of a routine to your day any more. In the past, everything was organized: the day, the work, the room itself. But after a month of working with the new teacher, you and the students have come to realize there is no real routine or follow-through. Every day is different. The students have no individual workspace, there is no data charting on individual progress, and your assignments also change daily.

The students generally come to you for direction because they don't understand what the teacher wants from them. The 6th graders often say “When Mrs… was here we did it like this. We want to do that again.” Of course this makes the new teacher rather defensive, and in a private conference with you she tells you to back off and stop trying to take over, because she is the teacher. Apparently she has even gone to the principal in tears over it.

You really have a lot invested in this school, the program and especially these students. You want to work this problem out. So what would you do to try to work things out with the teacher?

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

PART TWO: Change Hats - The Teacher's Perspective

You are the new teacher in a class for students who are emotionally disturbed. There are 12 students in 5th and 6th grade who happen to all be boys. You have come into a well-established program that was taught by a very respected teacher, and you have inherited a paraprofessional who seems to be very well trained and works well with the students. You were hired as an intern last year in a 1st and 2nd grade class for students who were emotionally disturbed. It was a group of 5 students and you had no paraprofessional working with you. But you feel that you did well, even if it was time-consuming and took quite an emotional toll.

You have been in this new job for a month now and things seem to be unraveling. You can't quite get organized and it has become apparent that you have a much more relaxed style than the paraprofessional and class are used to. They keep coming to you - the paraprofessional and the students - and asking what they should do next, or how you want things done. You aren't quite up to dealing with the “whole thing” some days and have often ended up in tears after the students have left. You have tried to conference with the paraprofessional, but you found it quite difficult to know what to say or how to talk with her, and unfortunately you ended up offending her. She is really good with the students but has now backed off as a result of some of the things you said in the meeting. You visited with the Principal and ended up in tears there. You really want to work as team with this paraprofessional and get things together for the class.

What could you do to turn this situation around?

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

PART THREE: The Principal's Point of View

You are the Principal of the school with the combined 5th and 6th grade class for students who are emotionally disturbed. Even though the previous outstanding teacher has moved to another school, you have complete confidence in the paraprofessional who has worked in the school and that class for the last five years. You have worked together with several students on difficult situations and know that she is dependable, capable and works well with these students. You have never had a reason to questions her professionalism, and hope that she will be able to ease the transition from one teacher to another - especially for these students who find change hard to handle. The new teacher you hired this year for the class came with good references and one year teaching as an intern in a small group for students who were emotionally disturbed. She was your only candidate for the job, but you felt that she was qualified to work with your students. You had some concerns as she shared with you that she ahs a tendency to be emotionally fragile.

After a month of working with the students and the paraprofessional, the new teacher doesn't seem to be doing well. She has been in your office crying once already and has indicated that she is having a hard time with the class and the paraprofessional. You know from other sources that she has offended the paraprofessional and that the students feel that the paraprofessional knows more than the teacher. You've made a point of dropping in on the class a couple of times and things seemed to be rather disorganized - there wasn't the sense of purpose and order that you had become used to with the previous teacher.

You don't want to lose the paraprofessional - she is too good and would be very difficult to replace. You also feel that the teacher has potential and good teaching skills. But some of the students' parents have started calling to express their concerns, so you know that you must do something.

What will you do to help resolve this issue?

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

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