April 05, 2005

A Point to Ponder...

Tomorrow, April 6, 2005 is "Paraprofessional Appreciation Day."  I got confused, as Administrative Professionals Day is usually toward the end of the month of April.  So upon further research, I discovered that "Paraprofessional Appreciation Day" is on April 6th and "Administrative Professionals Day" is on April 27th this year.

Just to be sure I was being politically correct and recognizing all levels of people related to professionals in my ever politically correct work environment, I decided to investigate the differences between these two iconic days of recognition.  Webster's Dictionary helps us define the differences between these two professions:

Administrative Professional:  A person employed to handle correspondence, keep files, and do clerical work for another person or an organization  (for those of you in a non-politically correct setting, this would translate into the word "secretary").

Paraprofessional:  A trained worker who is not a member of a given profession but assists a professional.

Hmmm....I wonder where fetching coffee or washing the car fits in?  Of course I'm kidding, but when *I* was a secretary Administrative Professional, I did take care of the house and the cat for my boss. 

For me, I always need to understand things visually, so thought I would include a hypothetical organizational chart in a hypothetical situation:

So here are my points to ponder:

Since Fred has "professional" in his title, wouldn't it seem natural to have paraprofessionals report to him, since they are required to work for a professional?

1. Would Jack or Jill be able to report to Merri, or are they unable to since she truly isn't professional? 

What is the point of this post, really?

Anyway, what I've concluded is that the florists, gift shop owners and Hallmark all got together and came up with another day in which to send cards, flowers and gifts.  Oh, and the restaurants - let's not forget them either!

Don't forget to hug your paraprofessional on Wednesday!  They truly do need a hug, as they aren't really a member of any profession, but have to work anyway.