Hi all. I have some good news.
I have been working as a substitute teacher aide (paraprofessional) at a school for the last month, and they are very happy with the work I've gotten out of a Kindergarten student. They say I have been the best aide so far, and they want to keep me around for as long as the position is available. The student has learned a lot more ever since I started working with him -- he is able to focus better on his schoolwork, retain the material better, etc.
This is good news because I haven't always had success as a substitute teacher. One district fired me in 2014. I think it was because I was so inept at managing large classrooms due to bad executive functioning and not understanding how to respond to student social needs.
Turns out I shouldn't have been managing large classrooms by myself -- I did much better one-on-one when expectations were clear, when I worked as an aide, and when I had someone more socially competent and good at executive functions leading the classroom while I merely copied their social behavior and worked more individually with smaller numbers of students.
With that in mind, I'm now finally in my element. I can rely on a main teacher or other aide and figure out how to interact appropriately with students by observing and copying their social manners with students. My job is then to simply ensure this one student learns and does his work properly. As an Aspie WITHOUT ADHD, I'm super detail oriented and analytic, and am good at getting him to do his work PROPERLY. I just needed someone to help me out with the social and executive function stuff, and leave me be with a smaller number of students (just one in this case). Now I'm in my element -- this student is succeeding more, I'm succeeding, and it's just a win-win situation all-around.
I know we have many difficulties in the workplace, but I thought sharing a work success story would help give encouragement to Aspies out there who are still hoping for their own successes. It took me until my thirties, and tons of trial and error, until I figured out how to succeed at work better, but now I'm finally getting it!
07 Oct 2016, 8:54 pm
