To the editor:
Paraprofessional Recognition Week has been designated as the week of Jan. 16-20. Paraprofessionals are individuals who work in a variety of positions in a school district.
Their roles include those who work as instructional assistants, Title 1 Paraprofessionals, student support assistants, special education paraprofessionals, job coaches, lunch room and playground assistants, hall monitors and media center assistants.
Paraprofessionals work with individual students or with small groups to provide direct instruction and/or physical or behavior management. They work under the direction of a regular education or special education teacher. In a nutshell, paraprofessionals provide instructional support to student programs.
By working alongside teachers, they help provide the extra support that students need to be successful in the classroom.
The SW/WC Service Cooperative employs 38 paraprofessionals (both special education paraprofessionals and bilingual paraprofessionals) in five of our programs: the Belview Learning Center, the Cosmos Learning Center, the West Central Integration Collaborative in Willmar, the Blue Mound Learning Center in Luverne, and the Red Rock Ridge Area Learning Center in Windom.
We appreciate the important role our paraprofessionals play in the lives of our students, our teachers, and our programs!
Please take time this week to thank the paraprofessionals in your schools!
Shelly Maes
SW/WC Service Cooperative