RINGGOLD, Ga. — They don’t stand at the head of the classroom or sign students’ report cards, but paraprofessional educators are valuable members of a school’s teaching staff, school administrators said.
To recognize their hard work, Susan Swartz, a paraprofessional at Rossville Middle School, convinced Gov. Sonny Perdue to set aside a day this month to honor the educators.
“There are all kinds of ‘days,’” said Mrs. Swartz, who’s been a “parapro” at Rossville Middle School for 10 years. “There’s Secretaries’ Day and Bosses Day. I thought it would be nice to have one for parapros because they work really hard in their job.”
So she sent an e-mail to the governor.
Shortly before the beginning of this school year, Mrs. Swartz got a call at home from Gov. Perdue’s office.
“(The caller) said this is so and so from Gov. Sonny Perdue’s office, and I felt like I needed to sit down,” she said.
She was asked to e-mail wording for a proclamation, and when school started in August 2007, there was a large, brown envelope waiting for her. The wording had been changed a little, but “they got the idea,” she said.
Paraprofessionals in Georgia schools assist in instruction of reading, writing and mathematics, according to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.
“The parapro is there to assist the teacher, and at the middle school level she has complete autonomy,” said Wendy Ingram, assistant principal at Rossville Middle School. “Mrs. Swartz has the ISS (in-school suspension) program. Parapros also work with special education students.”
Paraprofessionals must complete continuing education courses and have their licenses renewed every five years.
Tracy Linder, director of federal programs and curriculum for Dade County, Ga., schools, said paraprofessionals make a real difference in elementary schools, helping the teacher and lowering the student to teacher ratio.
“We use them a lot in kindergarten because of the age of the children,” Ms. Linder said. “The more adults you can have in that room, the better off you are. (Teachers) do a lot of differentiated instruction where students work in small groups. The parapros lead those groups.”
Paraprofessionals’ Day is Tuesday. Ms. Ingram said a small celebration is being planned, perhaps a meal, for the paraprofessionals.
Other schools may be unaware of the day, though. The proclamation is not listed on the governor’s Web site.
David Hohenstern, senior editor and proclamations coordinator for the governor’s office, said there are too many to list them all.
“So far this year, I’ve got 160 proclamations that I’ve approved,” Mr. Hohenstern said. “Last year, we did over 400. Just this past week I’ve gotten 10 requests.”
Ms. Swartz said she is pleased that her request was approved.
“It was important to me that there should be a special day to let them know how much they are appreciated,” she said. “I love my job and take pride in it. God wants us to do good at everything we do.”
HOW IT WORKS
Individuals or groups seeking a proclamation from the governor’s office must meet these requirements:
* Only Georgia residents may request a proclamation
* The proclamation must affect a broad group of people; it cannot be for one person or a specific organization
* Cannot address political controversy or personal convictions
For more information, visit the governor’s Web site at www.gov.georgia.gov
