Diane R. Page - The paraeducator in the elementary school classroom

Cover

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Diane R. Page
Illustrations by Bruce Bigelow

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Disclaimer:
Some images in the original version of this book are not available for inclusion in the netLibrary eBook.

SCARECROW PRESS, INC.
A Scarecrow Education Book

Published in the United States of America
by Scarecrow Press, Inc.
4720 Boston Way, Lanham, Maryland 20706
www.scarecroweducation.com

4 Pleydell Gardens, Folkestone
Kent CT20 2DN, England

Copyright 2001 by Diane R. Page

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 0-8108-3871-0

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.481992.
Manufactured in the United States of America.

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I would like to express my appreciation to the many teachers and their assistants who encouraged me to produce this manuscript. I am grateful for the special attention given to this effort by Dr. Joan Harlan, Vafa Jamasbi, Jean Vickers, Michelle Harris, Deborah Page, and my wonderful daughter, Elizabeth Tyer.

A special thank you goes to a very talented young man, John Clark Poole. His sketches of a most amusing adult cat to depict the elementary classroom assistant teacher directed graphic design artist Bruce Bigelow's creation of E. Cat. This feisty feline injects a flow of humor into what would have otherwise been a much too serious book.

Lastly, I express my heartfelt gratitude to Bruce. His patience, understanding, and enormous artistic abilities have made the production of The Paraeducator in the Elementary School Classroom a truly unique pleasure.

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Far too often elementary classroom assistant teachers are the "Forgotten Force" in Education. I seriously doubt if any of you experienced assistants were provided training by local school districts. You were expected to automatically know your job responsibilities and immediately perform those responsibilities quite well. Common sense dictates this just does not happen. How many other professions employ unskilled or semi-skilled labor and provide no training? You have a very special place and you have a very important position. Guidelines and performance expectations must be made available to you.

This book is for inexperienced elementary classroom assistant teachers. However, experienced assistant teachers will find helpful information and a validation of the importance of the responsibilities that are theirs every day.

A commonly heard statement made by many elementary classroom teachers is, "There's nothing better than a good assistant." That declaration is resoundingly true. Your professional growth, to provide a quality education for all children, was my commitment in writing this book.