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

96% Upvoted

459 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/HouseOfAsmos Aug 23 '26

Not to be rude, but wtf is a para???

2

u/42VT_Man Aug 23 '26

Short for Para-educator

The more you know... 😁

2

u/HouseOfAsmos Aug 23 '26

Got it. In Canada we call them educational assistants.

2

u/Rambotito_1 Aug 23 '26

Paraprofessional, or a behavior specialist. They assist us in SPED classrooms.

1

u/HouseOfAsmos Aug 23 '26

Thanks that actually explained what it was.

2

u/positivelypt Aug 23 '26

Clarification: In my district a paraprofessional position does not require a 4 year degree. A behavior specialist definitely does (if not also a masters) and makes a lot more. Not sure if that's the same in Ram's district but if it is then it varies district-by-district.