AUTHOR COMMENTARIES: CASE STUDY THREE

Supervising TAs
The paraprofessional in this case study has been assigned considerable responsibility, in having to supervise other paraprofessionals, as well as carrying out her own paraprofessional duties. In one sense this puts her in the role of a teacher, but if she has received proper training for her role it is within the school district’s jurisdiction to assign these responsibilities to her. However, she is still a paraprofessional and must herself be supervised by a professional (see chapter 3). She makes no mention of who her supervisor is, or where the supervisor is located. The first and most appropriate thing for her to do is to discuss the matter with her supervisor, telling her what is happening and seeking advice on how to deal with the current situation. Even if she has been given a free hand to supervise the two TAs in whatever way she thinks is best, her supervisor needs to know what is going on, as the supervisor is ultimately responsible for everything that happens in the program (see chapter 7). In addition, the situation involves TAs from the other school district, and it is obviously not appropriate for the paraprofessional to approach them to discuss the situation without both supervising teachers becoming involved and giving their approval.

Getting the Facts Right
The paraprofessional does the right thing in talking to the TA and establishing the facts before approaching her supervisor - especially as her supervisor likes to have good solid data on which to base decisions. She is also right in her concerns about confidentiality. The legal obligation to keep information confidential extends not only to students but also to all those who work in or are connected with a school or program. This concern over a breach of confidentiality on the part of the TA should also govern the extent to which the paraprofessional shares that information with her supervising teacher. The facts that she herself did not want to hear should obviously not be passed on - although the teacher should be made aware that the TA was passing on inappropriate information, as it indicates that her staff may need re-training in confidentiality issues.

This new development gives a clear indication that the situation has gone beyond what the paraprofessional can handle alone, and that the supervising teacher needs to be involved and make the decisions as to what should be done. Even if the teacher is willing to entrust considerable responsibilities to the paraprofessional, and the paraprofessional is willing to assume those responsibilities, the paraprofessional should seek supervision in this matter, and thus indicate that she recognizes the limits of her authority and expertise.

You may wish to review chapter 12, Professional and Ethical Behavior, which not only relates to confidentiality, but also to conflict resolution and collaboration. Chapter 4 also discusses the skills required of effective paraprofessionals.