special education paraprofessional

teacher

facilitator

paraprofessional

substitute teacher

Francis Howell School District

I am an Administrative Assistant to the Assistant Principals at a Middle School in the Francis Howell School District.  No two days are alike.  Each day involves assisting students, parents, teachers and administrators as just part of my duties.  I handle all paperwork and files for the discipline events such as detentions, in-school suspensions and out of school suspensions.  I work closely with the Assistant Principals on a daily basis.  Confidentiality is a must.  I create discipline data reports on a quarterly basis. I also create the school newsletter six times a year, keep record of all lockers issued to the students, keep record of parent volunteer hours, order any forms that are needed, and process the credit card purchases and expense reports for the principals.  Each year our school has a veterans assembly and an 8th grade award ceremony which I assist in creating and arranging.

Since working for the district, I have developed a more detailed aspect of record keeping using graphs and creating databases using excel and the districts software containing all information on each student.  I have also become much more familiar with Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher for creating award certificates, letters, posters, etc.

I very much enjoy everyone I work with and have a good relationship with all of my co-workers on both a professional and personal level.  We work well as a team and cover for one another when needed.  

The hardest part of my job is the fact that it is a 10 month position and not getting paid for any of the breaks (summer, Christmas, fall and spring).  The district has made additional cuts and this has forced me to look elsewhere for employment.

I enjoy that my position requires multi-tasking in a fast pace environment, and also enjoy any new projects or challenges that come my way.

In my 5 years at Castlio Vacation Station, I leave knowing I made a difference with the children. The staff I worked alongside were not always qualified for the situations they dealt with but tried their best and stayed positive. The upper management was unprofessional and unkind especially to new people who had limited experience working with kids. I had to leave my role due to family issues and when I tried to reapply, I waited 6 weeks after applying to get an impersonal email from a boss I worked with for 5 years. The unprofessional behavior is something I won’t ever miss. The constant changing and adapting was exhausting for all the staff at VS and it was just something we all had to deal with every quarter. The lack of consistency and organization made it difficult to keep the children from dysregulation and confusion. Working at VS also means the school will treat you as if you don’t exist or matter. I would not recommend working at this specific location but am aware each VS is ran differently.

A somewhat satisfactory place to work.
I probably would have been more accepted as a female substitute teacher, no one seems to know what to do with a male substitute teacher.The full-time teachers were usually polite, but rather aloof.  Some even seemed paranoid that your were there to steal their job.

The substitutes in the district were often left to somewhat fend for themselves, receiving little to no support from the rather self-important administrators. Fortunately, most teachers left adequate sub plans to guide the substitute through the day.  

Problems usually occurred when the teacher did not provide adequate sub plans, or withheld vital information about the class or students - leaving the substitute teacher to stumble and grasp their way out of the situation.  Thankfully, these neglectful teachers were somewhat rare.



I learned that each person has a personal learning style and/or preference.  I learned how to help students utilize different methodology to acquire skills and cognitive learning using their particular learning styles.  Management of a classroom is accomplished with familiarity of instructional objectives and goals.  Co-workers provided a wealth of information and "know how" for instructional purposes. Co-workers were amazingly supportive friends.  The hardest part of the job is knowing when to stop working and to find a balance with personal life.  The most enjoyable part of the job is parallel with the hardest part of the job, that is, planning, implementation, and research are so amazing that it is a true source of enrichment in my life.

Clock in read all the emails for the day,see what was going on,for the day,see if any thing needed to be fix,moved,set up and break downs go and to talk to the big lady in charge,and what kids would be with me that night for punishment for acting up class.
I thought that it wouldn't be so hard to fire an employee but it is when you get close to them but that is part of the job,every month I would have a employee let it all hang out night they could voice there thoughts on what they felt about any and every thing that had to do with the job,and then we vote on there ideas and at the end of 90 days witch ever employee came up with the most idea's that better change the work place they would earn a bonus. 
 Some times that would be the best time of the job.

Working for Francis Howell had it's ups and downs, but I feel extremely lucky to have been placed in a school that had so much support and respect between it's employees. I've been around long enough to know that it's not always that easy. The people you work with make all the difference.

Every school is going to be different. Some are going to seem like a nightmare, others are going to make working fun.

Working in a school is going to be challenging. The pay is alright. The benefits are pretty good. There is no training on earth that will prepare you for the bizarre things you will encounter. (Like trying to find a tooth on a white tile floor.)

My advise is to give it time. No matter what department you are in, it is going to feel overwhelming at first. But in a few weeks you will have it down.

And if your school isn't working out, ask to go to a different school. They are as different as night and day. It's all about finding your right fit.

Francis Howell School District was a contract position and my first job opportunity after graduating from college. I had the opportunity to work at the pre-school and elementary school level as an Occupational Therapy Assistant. This job was a wonderful learning experience and opportunity to work with young children with developmental and physical disabilities.

The culture was extremely warm and caring, and the staff were very knowledgeable and supportive. I learned quite a bit in the area of occupational therapy in a school setting through this experience. It truly was a great privilege and opportunity to work with so many wonderful teachers and children.

The people I work with are dedicated workers, They care about the students & parents and care. The higher ups don't care about giving raises or even cost of living increases. I've gone 7 years out of 31 without  a cost of living increase. I have spent time and money improving my skills and knowledge and not being rewarded by cost of living. I feel in the last decade or more FH is going the wrong way with employees. They don't seem to value them like they use too. I guess it is the new group of higher ups are different people.

I would assist students with disabilities in a classroom environment. It might require assistance with a reading a test or taking notes or more hand-over-hand technique. I learned along the way that all students with disabilities have strong areas, you just have to find them! 
The management team and my fellow co-workers are all good people to work with/for in the school setting. We all work as a team and try to work out any problems that may arise.
The most enjoyable part of the job is when a student achieves something they have not before and they give you a huge smile!

What is the best part of working at the company?
The friendships I have built over the years are very rewarding.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Lack of pay, it is not sustainable for a single parent household.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
There are many different schools within the district, but I have been fortunate to have wonderful experiences.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Busy, friendly and I am fortunate to have a boss with an open door.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Special education paraprofessional 41 salaries reported	$17.71 per hour
Teacher 1 salary reported	$49,000 per year
Facilitator 9 salaries reported	$17.11 per hour
Paraprofessional 29 salaries reported	$17.49 per hour
Substitute teacher 9 salaries reported	$150 per day

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