Highlight of the Day: 9/26/2011

Two other paras and I are sitting in a classroom today trying to get students to do their work, which they wouldn't do.  One of the paras kept going up to one of the students every 30 seconds and asking him to start his work.  This particular student was on the computer looking for music to listen to on his headphones, and insisted he would start his work once he found the right music.  This para continued to harp on him several times over the course of the class period.  Finally, the para walked over to the classroom next door (not once, but twice) and tried to have the teacher there get him to work and threaten him with punishment.  By the end of the hour, the student had received an office referral for arguing with her, and never started his work.

Now, was the student was avoiding his work with the use of the computer?  Of course.  And this particular para was correct in trying to get him to start his work.  However, she was doing it in a way that only aggravated him and made him not want to do his work even more. 

If I were a supervising teacher, I would have pulled her to the side and told her "He didn't start his work when you bugged him 30 seconds ago.  What makes you think he is going to start at this moment?"  I would have also told her that she should ask him to start his work, walk away for about 3-5 minutes, come back and try to get him to work then.  If he hadn't started his work then, give him a warning, go way for another 2-3 minutes, and then give him a consequence if he hadn't started.  But since I was a fellow para (and one that has only worked there for about 3 weeks), I kept my nose out of the situation and let her dig her own grave.  My suggestions may or may not have worked, but what she was doing damn sure didn't work.  Also, the classroom teacher who she went and grabbed was not pleased being interrupted with her plan time. 

I can empathize with this para, and most paras like her, who want to jump right in and get the students to do their work when they aren't doing it.  But as someone who has supervised paras in the past, one problem I feel needs to be addressed is that sometimes, less is more.  This is especially true with students who have behavior problems (as all of the students in our program do).  For a student that isn't complying, but aren't disrupting or hurting anyone, it's not very complicated: instruct the student; give them the warning; come back later, and if they still aren't complying, then give a consequence.  Simple and effective.