Blessed Beyond Measure: an LNA/Para in special education
I learned quickly that working with children with a variety of challenges and different abilities, is a calling. It requires patience, love, and resilience. Although each day seems the same as far as schedules go, it truly isn’t. Every day presents new challenges and victories. No two students are the same, yes, they may have similarities like everyone does, but one person who has Down syndrome for example is not the same as another person who also has an extra chromosome, because like anyone else, they each have unique personalities, likes, wants, and behaviors. Every student is at a different academic level. Each have their own, unique learning style and no two have the same emotional needs.
One of the most demanding aspects of special education is teaching a group of students who are at different levels. Some students may be working on basic letter recognition, while others are mastering writing an essay. Despite these challenges, there is immense satisfaction in witnessing a student grasp a concept for the first time. The small wins, a correctly written sentence, an independent task completed, or a student expressing their emotions in a positive way, are the heart of why I ended up falling in love with this community of students and staying in it as long as I have.
Patience doesn’t always come easy, but it is a requirement. Many students face cognitive, emotional, or behavioral challenges that make learning complex. Some days, they may grasp a concept quickly and the next day they may look at the same problem like it’s something they have never seen. It often feels like one step forward and two steps back. Over the years I have been part of and witness to many small and huge victories in a variety of students, and it never gets old.
Here I am in my twenty third year and I am still amazed and thrilled to witness the strides some students have made. Not just the ones I work with, but to see the changes in other students due to the diligent work and time some of my coworkers have put into their students. One student in particular is in the eighth grade. I have supported her from time to time for a day or a period if her regular paraprofessional was absent. As long as I have known her, she will repeat anything a person says to her. I would say “don’t repeat, answer the question”, she hardly ever would. This year, she finally got the paraprofessional she deserves. One who cares about her and one who has earned her trust. The woman who works with her now, has shown her a great balance of love, support and challenges. This kid is blooming. She has come out of her shell, often playing little jokes on her para, speaking when spoken to rather than just parroting what she has heard. I see more of a security in her. She has even tried new things here and there, such as food that she would never have tried before. She has become more social with her peers, engaging in activities with others, when in the past she would often sit back and observe or tune everyone and everything out. These things may seem small to some people, but these are huge accomplishments. I have been witness to the pride in this child’s face, for herself and how much her paraprofessional enjoys coming to work and spending time with her. These two are a perfect match and I have seen growth in both of them.
Another student who comes to mind is a non verbal boy with autism. He too has a para who obviously cares a lot about him and has the patience required to work with him. It’s not easy, especially in the beginning when he was very impulsive and quick with his actions and reactions. Last year I saw him go from completely scribbling like a toddler to coloring within the lines of a coloring page. He has learned his schedule and knows what comes next when in the past, he was just told what to do. He now can be a bit more independent, often going from one place to another in the school with his para close behind, but not on top of him, so to speak. He used to be waited on and his breakfast and lunch was set in front of him, with his assistant removing covers, adding milk to cereal, unwrapping a straw, handing him a fork. This year, he is capable of going through the lunch line just like the general population, with his aide in eye shot, but a distance away so that he can express his new found independence. He even punches in his own student ID number to pay for his lunch and he does all the opening and setting up. He’s doing great. He even verbally says Hello to me in the halls now. He communicates through a picture exchange much more frequently this year.
Some of the struggles I have found in my years of working in special education or school in general, besides the obvious frustrations are those who choose to work in this environment, but have no patience for children. Special education I believe is more demanding than general education both physically and mentally, especially for paraprofessionals. I don’t understand why someone who is generally lazy or impatient would work with special ed students. I struggle with coworkers who are just there to collect a check. Another frustration I have had over the years is how some teachers and or administration barely know a student, only knowing them from glancing at their IEP or from what others have told them, and they meet with parents and advocates and act like they work with the kid on a daily basis when truthfully, they hardly lay eyes on them. It reminds me of an absent parent who will share pictures (stolen from the other parent or grandparent) on social media, creating the facade of being a devoted mother or father when in truth they probably don’t know the child’s favorite color, story book or favorite food.
I believe good paraprofessionals are the back bone of special education and these kids successes. We work with them most of the school day. If they have services (OT, speech, PT etc), it is often cancelled for a meeting so the paras pick up the slack. The paras often teach a group of students because the special education teacher who is assigned to teach, is often in a meeting or testing another student. We toilet them, sometimes feed them, we calm them, we redirect them, encourage them, and we love them., heck, we even save them (Heimlich maneuver), Yet if they get a special reward or some kind of recognition, it is the teacher or administrator in the picture with the student, not the para who has put blood, sweat and tears into the child.
The role parent plays can be both rewarding and frustrating as well. A strong partnership with parents can make all the difference in a child’s progress. Supportive parents work alongside educators, reinforcing learning at home and advocating for their child’s needs in a way that fosters collaboration. These relationships can be the most rewarding part of the job. When families and educators unite to give a child the best education and future success possible. However, not all parents see teachers and paras as allies. Some feel frustrated, angry, they don’t trust us, and they may view the school system as an enemy, rather than a support. These encounters can be discouraging and infuriating. When this happens, it’s important to remember that their actions and reactions often come from a place of fear or from past negative experiences.
Special education isn’t easy, but at the end of the day, I believe it is one of the most rewarding professions there is. I cherish the relationships I’ve built, with so many students over the years. Each one I have had the pleasure to work with, have touched my life in one way or another. I think if more people experienced the personalities, the love, the fun, the frustrations and everything in between, they too would feel their lives were just a bit more enriched.
“So often you find that the students you’re trying to inspire are the ones that end up inspiring you.”
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