At some point, this week, Renay lifted her head from helping a student and then looked around and realized that her co-workers were barely holding it together at this time of year. There are all sorts of pressures: family, academic, work, social, and these pressures are on every single one of us.
And in this time of pressure, it’s really important to remember one thing at the forefront over every action we need to have: professionalism.
Enjoy the moment. I know. It’s hard. There’s always a reason, someone is going to work with that student next period. You’re really worried about the fact that you may need a second adult to help in the restroom and want to know who will help you. You’re coping with a situation at home and want some adult advice about how to work with your child.
Remember that adults, like students, have good intentions and can manage. Ask before offering assistance. The student having a specific behavior with one adult may be attention seeking. You might not know that the student will ‘get worse’ as a second or third person comes into the situation in search of attention.
Instead:
Be the coworker who can wait at the door at the end of the day, maybe with a small treat for the person involved.
Be the coworker who gently reminds another that the students still can hear you.
Be the coworker who supports others to learn how best to support a student.
Be the coworker who reminds coworkers that professionalism gives everyone the boost they need from students, other teachers, administration, and parents.
Be the coworker that knows that tomorrow is just another chance to try again, even if things did not go so well.
Be the coworker that apologizes when things do not go well and learns from those mistakes.
Be the coworker that looks at the mistakes of others and learns from that.
Be the coworker that can lead others to be better when things seem the hardest.
Be the coworker that thanks and appreciates their fellow coworker. Sometimes that’s the thing they need to hear the most.
Trust in each other to be the team that you know you are. Know that the problems only last for a little while. It may sit with you all day, but when the next day comes, everyone gets a second chance.
One more thing before we go, ParaEducate is on the road next week! We’ll be in Sacramento, California, at the annual Cal-TASH event. We’ll be speaking and meeting people. We look forward to meeting you then.
Do you have any comments about this week’s blog? Do you have a question for us? Would you like to be a guest blogger? Would you like to have an opportunity to pilot some materials at your campus? Find ParaEducate online here, here, here, here, and on our website. Paraeducate is a company interested in providing materials, information, and strategies for people working in special education inclusion settings for grades K-12. ParaEducate, the blog, is published weekly during the academic school year on Thursdays, unless a holiday. ParaEducate shares their findings at conferences, through their books, and their academic adaptations.
