As an education specialist, it can get pretty hectic trying to schedule breaks for all of your paraprofessionals (especially for classrooms that have upwards of 10 or more aides!).  Many teachers say it’s almost harder to manage their staff than it is to manage their students! I know it sounds silly, but even us adults need visuals to make life easier.  

Having a set schedule keeps a smooth flow in the classroom and reduces issues you might encounter with staff.

By not having an established and visible schedule, some issues you could encounter are too many staff trying to take a break at the same time, it’s harder to monitor if a they are coming back in time for their break if they leave at a random time, and the possibility of being accused that a staff member wasn’t legally given their break.

By having a set schedule, everyone will be on the same page about what time they are to leave and come back.  Even if they choose not to leave for a break, it is at least posted that their break was offered at a certain time.  This is also beneficial for a sub teacher who is not familiar with the classroom.  It is one less thing they have to worry about delegating.   The main idea here is to spend less time having to manage your staff, and keep all of your focus on the students! 🙂

Now it’s going to depend on your school hours, rules, and how many staff you have, to appropriately schedule lunch breaks efficiently. (Don’t forget you can print another schedule out for 15 minute breaks too)  My class usually has anywhere from 6 to 10 aides, and it can definitely get a bit hectic during summer school because our day is a little bit shorter. Since it’s not practical for my aids to take a break first thing when they come in to work or the last 30 minutes of the day, I have to usually double up on some of the timeslots. During the hour that the students eat lunch and have a break themselves is when I might have more staff go on break at the same time.   I also try to make sure if the student has a one-on-one para that they are not going on break during a particularly hard part of the day for the student.  However you schedule your breaks, just make sure that the student’s safety and well being is you’re number one priority!

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Get organized and choose from 4 Editable Staff Break Schedules to download!