I’m a retired teacher of 20 years. I was in every type of classroom in my years of teaching, and let me tell you something — paraprofessionals are a blessing from God. This is especially true when you worked in early childhood education, where you have kindergarten and 1st-graders who have so many needs all at once, and there’s only one teacher in the room. Paraprofessionals help the kids with their fine motor skills, helping them cut paper, hold a pencil, go to the bathroom, and they help calm a student having a meltdown so as not to disturb the rest of the class. They are definitely an extra set of eyes and hands in the classroom. Many of the kids in my school loved the paras and respected them and felt safe with them. I don’t know where I would’ve been without my paras in the classroom. They deserve a livable wage and the respect that should automatically come with the position.
Pamela Thompson Lopez, retired
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