was not unusual for Mr. Chen’s secretary to return from lunch with the
comment, “I know something you don’t know.” If he didn’t know the
new tidbit of information, she knew her status was enhanced. Mr. Chen
was amazed at how much of what he considered confidential information
about staff members was common knowledge. He was also eager to hear
the rumor mill buzz about his recent actions and decisions. In addition to
serving the needs of the entire school, secretaries are also the repository
of the most current information on its inhabitants.
Today, the nationwide trend is to go to smaller, more family-like
schools. This may provide students with a more comfortable atmosphere,
but it also creates problems. Most such schools have only one secretary,
who cannot possible do all the work required for office management,
payroll, supplies, and records. Many of these tasks will either not be done
or fall upon other staff members, including teachers and administrators,
taking time away from pedagogical matters. This is a disadvantage of
small schools.
The New York City school district and most districts around the nation
define paraprofessionals as teaching assistants who provide instructional
services to students under the general supervision of a certified teacher.
The paraprofessional position is intended to be a stepping-stone to be-
coming a teacher. Most districts provide incentives for paraprofessionals,
including release time from their regular duties to attend college classes
and significant tuition rebates.
In his Brooklyn school, Mr. Chen found that few paraprofessionals
went on to become teachers. Most tended to be older women who worked
in Title I supplemental classes. They relieved teachers of numerous cleri-
cal duties and worked one-on-one with some students, assisting them with
reading, writing, or mathematics. They had no desire to become teachers.
The union contract included longevity increases for paraprofessionals
who served more than fifteen years, a clear indication that the majority of
paraprofessionals did not advance to teaching positions.
These women working in supplemental classes were motherly (or
grandmotherly) figures for students who had the most deficiencies in
reading and writing. They provided one-on-one support. They helped
improve the ambience of the classroom, but their academic support was
limited by their own lack of education, usually a high school diploma.
Remember the Support Staff 151