picture taken from Pixabay
This week has been Teacher Appreciation Week here in the United States! I have discussed my status as a person with a disability and mental illness several times here on my blog. Many educators I have met have been so understanding of my disability and mental illness. I have written two post about wonderful teachers I have had, and you can read them here and here. This is another post celebrating an excellent teacher.
Years ago when I was in kindergarten, I had two great teachers. However, I spent a significant amount time with one of them. It wasn’t until I was older when I got a chance to talk with her about her experience as an educator that I found out she wasn’t a teacher yet during the time she was teaching me. She was a paraprofessional, and was in the process of becoming a teacher. For those who don’t know what a paraprofessional is, a paraprofessional is a person who “supports teachers and students in many ways. For instance, a paraprofessional can tutor students or assist the teacher with managing the classroom and organizing instructional materials”. Paraprofessionals also help with “providing students with one-on-one guidance and handling behavioral or medical issues”.
It was interesting to find out that one of my kindergarten teachers was not exactly a teacher yet. However, then again, I should not have been so surprised. I was a student with special needs who needed extra attention, and giving students the extra attention they need is part of a paraprofessional’s job. My kindergarten teacher did not just give me extra attention though. She was extremely kind, loving, and patient. Even at my very young age of five, I knew she cared deeply for me, and so I cared deeply for her in return. She eventually did become a full fledged teacher, running her own classes and then eventually a department head.
I admire and appreciate her for the time she took to not only nurture my learning, but also my well-being. I definitely felt special with her, but I’m sure I was not her only student who felt this way. It is clear she is a passionate educator. Miss. H, Thankyou for everything, and happy teacher’s appreciation week.
Life with Charli 