Teacher Assistant, Special Education (1:1)

About the role

This work provides instructional support, training, and personal assistance to teachers of students with physical disabilities or intellectual disabilities. The position works directly 1:1 with an assigned student who needs additional support.

Responsibilities

• Assist the teacher by performing instructional duties, preparing classroom materials, supervising student behavior, and learning/applying specific behavior management techniques
• Perform clerical duties and provide assistance with personal hygiene and physical care as required
• Provide individual instructional support as assigned by the teacher; have materials ready; present activities in developmental areas including cognitive, speech and language, fine motor, gross motor, social/emotional, and daily living skills; reinforce concepts and practice skills
• Collect and record student data such as skill practice, seizure occurrences, and toileting
• Provide discipline in the absence of the teacher and maintain consistency with procedures established by the teacher
• Implement behavior modification plans
• Practice individual speech sounds, vocabulary, and syntax objectives with students as directed by the speech therapist; read to students and ask questions to stimulate language development; present language activities involving expressive and receptive areas of development
• Supervise learning centers during independent student work and assist students in manipulating materials
• Participate in classroom activities such as discussions and games
• Operate computer and audiovisual equipment such as DVD, data projector, or smartboards

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED
• Experience as a teacher aide or working with children

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to work under the supervision of the teacher, including following lesson plans prepared by teachers
• Ability to work effectively with individual children and small groups, meeting the instructional objectives as established by the teacher
• Physical ability to lift, position, and assist students as required
• Ability to accept and adapt to the wide differences in student characteristics and abilities
• Ability to operate standard office equipment, learn to operate video equipment, and learn to perform individual medical procedures when necessary
• Good human relations and communications skills; patience and flexibility

Physical Requirements

• Regularly talking, expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word
• Convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly
• Possess normal cognitive abilities including the ability to learn, recall and apply certain practices and policies
• Frequently sitting and/or remaining in a stationary position for long periods of time
• Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects