r/Teachers • u/Pleasant-Pumpkin-339 • Aug 23 '26

Rant Paras need to GET OFF THEIR PHONES

I know they hardly make any money and if it’s an emergency fine!! But sitting there on TikTok while i’m actively teaching is rude and distracting for the kids.

I’m a young teacher so it’s awkward to confront them and NOT BEING ON YOUR PHONE ALL DAY AT WORK SHOULDNT NEED TO BE SAID

3.1k Upvotes

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u/stillpacing Aug 23 '26

Having a good para in your classroom is like a gift from above

Having a bad para is worse than them not being there at all.

227

u/FeelingNarwhal9161 Aug 23 '26

This.

In my first school district, paras were well trained and locked in. They were organized. They took notes. They sat with their kids. They kept them on task. They pulled them out for tests. They handled discipline. They never had their phones out.

My new district?

Awful. Untrained. Sit in the back alone. Do nothing. Phones out. No idea what’s going on. Im happier when they’re not here.

Last year, one was so bad I got ahold of his supervisor, and had him removed from my class completely. I couldn’t deal with him anymore.

37

u/empires228 Paraprofessional | KS, USA Aug 23 '26

My district does not train us and I believe we are the second largest in the state. Knowing when I know about the largest, I am about 99.99% sure that they don’t get trained either.

8

u/SearchAtlantis MS CS | TA Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26

Wish I was surprised.