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jpm - hello sweetpolly
sweetpolly60 - Hi jpm
jpm - are you here for the meeting
sweetpolly60 - I thought so
jpm - great!
sweetpolly60 - I felt there would be more
jpm - I am a paraprofessional for an autistic boy who is in third grade what about you
sweetpolly60 - that's coincidence since I'm a para for 2 autistic twin boys in 7th grade
jpm - I am actually surprised you showed up. I thought this wouldn't "fly"
jpm - no way this boy has a twin autistic brother
sweetpolly60 - Yeah, Andy and Danny
jpm - interesting. is he in a full inclusion type program
sweetpolly60 - They were up till this year
jpm - oh what happened?
sweetpolly60 - They moved to a different school and it has a history of causing problems for autistic students
jpm - oh so are you working in a resource room
sweetpolly60 - No one knows why
Mollie - What grades do you assist?
sweetpolly60 - We have a "safe" room
jpm - Mollie I am a one on one para for an autistic boy in third grade what about you?
jpm - what is a safe room?
Mollie - K-5
sweetpolly60 - I'm in 7th grade
Mollie - Do you just do clerical or teach?
jpm - * warns Mollie and sweetpolly that jpm's phone may ring and kick her off line I will get back on asap
sweetpolly60 - I teach
jpm - Mollie I teach him one on one. regular ed teacher said I am also welcome to teach anything to the class
Mollie - right now I do mostly clerical, but they are asking me to do more teacher assist
nenalinda - I am a teacher and I do have a great ASST.
nenalinda - just wanted to get some feedback
sweetpolly60 - I have been a para in most of the grades now, but my heart is with k-4
nenalinda - oh I teach pre-k
nenalinda - great age
nenalinda - my ASST is my right hand
sweetpolly60 - my sister in law does to
nenalinda - she is great
Mollie - Gotta run, have a great night!
jpm! - sorry
sweetpolly60 - That's great it sounds like you have a good relationship
nenalinda - * I too might get kicked off so if I do I apologize
jpm! - oh good nenalinda I am glad you are a teacher
nenalinda - yes we do
sweetpolly60 - Bye Mollie
nenalinda - yes we do
jpm! - I am always trying to establish a good relationship with the teacher. its hard to do so sometimes because all the teachers aren't 100% for inclusion
nenalinda - well my facility at the moment is very open
nenalinda - to inclusion
sweetpolly60 - For most of the 8 years I've been a para I've had a good relationship with the resource teacher and classroom
jpm! - that's great nenalinda
nenalinda - although my ASST is young (19) she has been working with children for 4 years
jpm! - this is my first yr as a para actually my first 2 months lol I enjoy and get along great with the regular ed teacher and the special ed supervisor,
sweetpolly60 - oh wow
nenalinda - she has encountered a lot of things that I have learned from
jpm! - I have great support from both
nenalinda - I think her boss was a close friend of her moms so that is how she got in
jpm! - nenalinda do you have any special needs in your classroom
nenalinda - how interesting my major is in speech therapy how I got into early childhood I don't know
nenalinda - yes I do
nenalinda - one child just had a cleft palate operation
jpm! - nenalinda always wanted to go into speech therapy
nenalinda - to help her speech
jpm! - nenalinda when I taught preschool I had a child go through the same operation
nenalinda - plus I have two with speech impediments
Barb/2/NE - jpm, did you know that I'm a teacher assistant?
nenalinda - wow
jpm! - no barb I didn't
jpm! - * so impressed and relieved by the turnout thanks guys!*
nenalinda - your welcome
Barb/2/NE - jpm, LOL and I didn't know that you were one too!
nenalinda - I am Ingrid and I am a teacher
nenalinda - how do you do?
Barb/2/NE - hehe jpm! It was a good idea
jpm! - barb do you work one on one or as a group teacher assistant
jpm! - barb just started oct1st a para for a autistic child
nenalinda - barb I studied speech therapy
jpm! - I struggle sometimes with him in the regular ed classroom struggle to know my place with the other students
Barb/2/NE - jpm, I do both. I have 2 reading groups (we have 30 students in our room) and I do weekly reader and the word wall. I also so some one on one
mabber - I'm pending certification in SPED; currently awaiting my first sub assignment.
nenalinda - its weird we are all tied into special ed
jpm! - thanks barb
jpm! - excellent mabber
Barb/2/NE - special ed teachers really need the help
Barb/2/NE - jpm, do you feel as if you should be helping other students?
nenalinda - yes we do
sweetpolly60 - This is cool and most of us are with autistic kids
jpm! - my student had an awesome day up until the last thing then he went crazy so frustrating all the other paras were like aaaahh
mabber - this is a great room.
jpm! - barb a little and a little discipline lol I am told I can do both at either time. but not to worry too much about helping other children
Barb/2/NE - jpm, what age child?
jpm! - third grade
sweetpolly60 - My kiddos work with me and the facilitator one on one
mabber - jpm, what set him off, do you know?
sweetpolly60 - It's how their IEP was written
Barb/2/NE - I wonder if their are more autistic children?
jpm! - ummmm i am thinking it was thing he had to do its extra gym almost like a PT group he HATES IT
mabber - autism isn't supposed to be that common, but I think it's getting more common than the stats indicate.
jpm! - barb we have 6 coming up next yr
nenalinda - guys it was great talkin' to you but i have to go i work in jersey and live in NY gotta get up early hey good thing going
jpm! - mabber yes and we are doing a lot more inclusion
nenalinda - bye
mabber - what's a PT group. Sorry.
jpm! - thanks neenalidna for sharing your thoughts
Barb/2/NE - mabber, how did school systems handle autistic children in the past
jpm! - hello mick
nenalinda - anytime
jpm! - physical therapy
Barb/2/NE - Hi Mick!
mabber - I don't know; didn't they consider it to be a form of mental retardation before IDEA got into the act?
sweetpolly60 - When the twins were younger they had a surprise card so if there was a change they would show them card
Mick - Hey guys
jpm! - sweetpolly what are some challenges you face as a para in the classroom
sweetpolly60 - Then write a social story
Barb/2/NE - mabber, I'm sorry, what's IDEA
jpm! - oh excellent idea sweetpolly these guys don't need that as much as one of the students did and it was called "today is a special day"
sweetpolly60 - noise lighting can throw one twin off
sweetpolly60 - plus he's going thru puberty
sweetpolly60 - so any medicine might work for a month
mabber - IDEA is the Disabilities Act that governs sped regulations in the USA-FAPE, etc.
jpm! - sweetpolly the twin i dont work with wont leave the room until the second hand is on the 12 or exactly the right time
sweetpolly60 - and then not
jpm! - * holds her head thinking about this boy going into puberty*
sweetpolly60 - It's not bad now, he was getting agressive alot
sweetpolly60 - but that could change
jpm! - these twins have major behavior problems
sweetpolly60 - They are both very sweet loving boys
sweetpolly60 - usually
jpm! - barb do you feel that you have free reign so to speak in the classroom
sweetpolly60 - They have a very good behavior plan in place
sweetpolly60 - Sorry barb for monopolizing
sweetpolly60 - I really do have fun at my job
jpm! - sweetpolly these twins do as well. except mom is very unsure of it
sweetpolly60 - Our parents are very supportive
Barb/2/NE - no problem! I am realizing that I have a very different set up
jpm! - barb thats great though wehn i was first hired i thought i was gong to have aset up like yours
Barb/2/NE - My job is to mainly assist the teacher in any way, correcting papers, bulletin boards etc
jpm! - our mom is a para the other elementary school and she is a para like you barb
Barb/2/NE - jpm, it's funny how the term, paraprofessional/teacher assistant can mean so many things!
Barb/2/NE - sweetpolly, isn't it great to have supportive parents!
sweetpolly60 - Isn't that the truth!
jpm! - barb i try to do that as much as possible when my student is either at speech or OT only happens 2x a week where i am realy free so sometimes i take that time
sweetpolly60 - Yes because I have been in a situation where parents weren't
sweetpolly60 - free time isn't in my schedule this year
jpm! - our mom comes in for lunch sometimes i am so happy to see her just to catch up we use a notebook but its nice to see her and sometimes she gives me the break
Barb/2/NE - but, it can be stressful for us, I really don't have a job description set in stone, as a matter of fact, it's a joke at my school with the other TA's, that we need to check out our "TA handbood!"
jpm! - well the speech teacher and the OT don't need me they tell me to scat LOL
Barb/2/NE - that's "Handbook!" LOL
sweetpolly60 - So you don't have a contract
jpm! - barb thats one of the reasons why i wanted to do this chat so we could discuss all different things about a our job and how sometimes its not very clear
Barb/2/NE - I don't
Barb/2/NE - have a contract, that is
Barb/2/NE - jpm, I think the most important part of our job is being able to get along with the teacher you are assigned to work with
sweetpolly60 - That is the truth
jpm! - barb yes my teacher is just one yr younger then I am. We get along wonderufl. Sometimes we don't always see eye to eye, but she lets me do a lot of cool things and lets me in on other things going on with students in the classroom so i am not left out in the dark
jpm! - she told me today that if i ever came across a really cool lesson i could teach it to the class and she would sit with my student.
Barb/2/NE - that's good, jpm, I'm glad you have a good situation. It makes things so much nicer!
sweetpolly60 - that's cool
jpm! - yup ! we appreciate eachother
sweetpolly60 - its funny I always leave my age at the door because
sweetpolly60 - have always been older
mabber - How did you all get your jobs? Did you have to substitute teach for a long time before being considered for a para job?
sweetpolly60 - like the teacher i work now is 25 i'm 41
Coyote - what's goin' on y'all?
jpm! - mabber no i just sent my resume and then they called me like a month later
Barb/2/NE - mabber, my children attend the school that I'm at, I did some subbing to get back into the swing of things.
sweetpolly60 - Applied and then interviewed, in IL you don't have to have college hours to be a para
jpm! - coyote we are having a meeting about being a para or teacher assistant or having oen in your room
Barb/2/NE - coyote, we are talking about being a teacher assistant. Weren't you one before you got your classroom?
mabber - I hope I won't be subbing long, or if I do, I become a permanent sub.
jpm! - mabber in our district we have building subs they go everyday and are used as needed
jpm! - BRB
sweetpolly60 - I like that!
jpm! - just got the strangest message
Barb/2/NE - Hi again sweetpolly, did you get booted out of the room?
sweetpolly60 - dumb computer
mabber - I don't know what happened.
sweetpolly60 - Yes
sweetpolly60 - did it boot you off without warning too mabber
jpm! - mabber i got a strange message as well
mabber - yes, sweetp60
jpm! - hold on barb LOL
Barb/2/NE - Sometime hitting the Green "G" helps
Coyote - yea I was a TA for like 4 months
jpm! - and coyote did you work one on one or in small groups
mabber - you guys in special ed, what kind of kids do you have? Cognitive problems, learning disabled, or what?
Coyote - uhhh 1 class I just like walked around and if someone needed help I helped em.. the rest of the time I was making photo copies or putting together packets or doing clerical work
jpm! - mabber well i work with an autistic boy who has a twin brother who is also a autistic behavior mostly and then low academically
jpm! - ahhhhh like barb
sweetpolly60 - i have autistic twins, boys, 7th grade
Barb/2/NE - yup!
jpm! - and did you work well with the teacher in the room?
Coyote - the other class I usually took a group of 6 and worked with em .. then walked around and if anyone needed help i'd help em
mabber - coyote, a group of 6 is a large group, no?
Barb/2/NE - yup!
jpm! - sweetpolly verbal?
Barb/2/NE - There are 7 students in my reading group
Coyote - the first teacher not really the 2nd teacher I worked well with
mabber - barb, is it a remedial reading group?
Coyote - 6 is small..
Barb/2/NE - mabber, no, since I do have my certificate, I have the 2 upper level groups
salty - any science teachers there
jpm! - salty this is a chat for teacher assistants and paraprofessionals
salty - ok bye bye
bdl - Hi, I've been a classroom teacher in a school with non-certified teachers and a teaching assistant.
mabber - Do any of you guys have to prepare the students for state achievement exams?
mabber - are you currently teaching, bdl.
sweetpolly60 - I need to go but this has been fun need to do it again, if you would like to e-mail my addy is dawnforrer@hotmail.com
bdl - Currently a teaching assistant
jomo - does anyone work in a public integrated preschool?
jpm! - bdl how do you deal with your teaching asistants my teacher that i work with made it very clear to her students that i was to be respected and I could discipline
mabber - bye sweetpolly
jpm! - yes this chat "officially" ends in about 5 mins but we can chat longer, I will have to leave though because i can barely see straight. Kathleen said we are welcome to meet once a month if it went well?
bdl - I've never had a TA, I've just been one.
mabber - once a month sounds good to me. I need the support!
jpm! - oh sorry my mistake okay well then how do you feel with the regular teachers in the classroom are you welcome
bdl - Anyone ever have problems with their teachers that they work with?
jpm! - Great mabber
jomo - gosh, I'm sorry I just found out about this. I'll check in again
jpm! - bdl when i taught preschool and was the head teacher my ast didn't like me
jpm! - jomp upi cam stau
jpm! - okay lets try that again jomo you can stay ahhhhh more readable
jpm! - barb are you still here i hope you feel comfortable
bdl - That's funny, I absolutely love the teacher I work with and I think she dislikes me.
mabber - Is everybody from the USA here?
bdl - I'm from Georgia
mabber - bdl, what makes you think she doesn't like you?
Barb/2/NE - sorry! Hubby just came in to discuss something
jpm! - why do you feel that way bdl i feel that way sometimes not that i ma not like just that she isn't pleased with me
Barb/2/NE - jpm, thanks for having this! It was a great idea!
jpm! - oh thats fine barb wanted to make sure you felt okay
jpm! - oh i am so happy to hear that barb. i think once a month would be fun
jomo - what are you talking about, jpm, I just am sorry I got here so late.
bdl - She's a great teacher and I guess I feel that what I do isn't ever good enough. She's not a real affirming person.
Barb/2/NE - bdl, that's a bummer! Does your principal support you?
jomo - maybe you need to talk to her about it. She probably hasn't a clue
mabber - bdl, i know what you mean. My master teacher I had as a student teacher was like that.
jpm! - jomo i didn't want you to feel as though you had to leave, who was here that worked in the preschool oh mollie worked in a preschool
jpm! - bdl yes ! feel the same way sometimes but then she says things like gee he really likes you. I am like well I am here to work with him and like him so i would hope he liked me back
bdl - Everyone -administration-loves my teacher-she really is good. I guess I just feel tolerated.
Barb/2/NE - hmmm my computer is acting a little wierd, I think I better check this out, (translation, have 12 year old son check this out!) see you, bye! Thanks for hosting the chat jpm!
jomo - gotta go- my eyes are shutting. Will try to get here earlier next time.
Barb/2/NE - Hi and bye art teacher!
jpm! - you are welcome this actually concludes the time frame of our chat and i am going to head to bed sorry but this host is tired! lol feel free to k eep discussing i will check with kathleen as to when we can have another time slot
Art Teach - Hi room. Grad student needs help w/ research. Any middle school teachers here?
mabber - I'm still here.
mabber - bye jomo.
mabber - are u hanging art?
mabber - oh, i was a junior high school student teacher a long time ago, if you want to count that.
mabber - bye!
