I have a paraprofessional to assist me. This year we were mandated to use cooperative learning. We break into groups, my paraprofessional teaches social skills and I teach Construction and we rotate the groups. I have a lead teacher who checks on the class. Five times in the last two weeks she's come to my class with no prior warning and removed my paraprofessional and taken him into another class she deemed to need more help leaving me with eleven students and having to change my lesson plans with no advanced warning. My students have responded well but the smallest change in routine is sometimes difficult for them not to mention me. Her explanation to me was that my class was running smoothly and some of the other classes were not and they needed more help.
I know my classmates at NTI all have more difficult situations than I do with more students, more classes and more responsibilities outside the classroom but my biggest concern is I've been told it is mandated by law that the teacher student ratio for Special ed. is one teacher per eight students. Plus it wears me out having to change lesson plans and monitor student activities without any prior planning and why am I punished because other teachers, who are more experienced than I am can't control their classrooms.
Hmmm... I think this is something to bring up with your principal. As you state, the law mandates that a low student:teacher ratio for special ed.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain having worked in several special ed classes. It is unfair and you should not be penalized for others adults lack of self-control. I would document each time this happens and inform my principal. Also, I would like the contact person at your school for the video openings that you mentioned. I would like to forward my resume to them.
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