On Friday, February 17, 2023, I will be sharing this blog with the educational assistants on O`ahu. This is their first DOE EA Institute since the pandemic, and I was honored to be asked to share with them. As I prepared for this opportunity, I realized that the value of this presentation is in the discussion and conversations it would hopefully elicit from the EAs.
The heart of a school is its students, and if we focus on what’s best for them, we are doing our job as educators and preparing our young people for their future.
Just as “it takes a village to raise a child,” it takes a team to ensure that our students are successful in school, not just academically, but socially and emotionally as well. Educational assistants are part of that team and are essential in our schools. DOE works because you do.
Educational assistants positively impact, not just students, but teachers, parents, administrators, other staff, and the school community. There are so many things that EAs do that we sometimes take for granted. I think back on my experiences as a teacher and a principal, and EAs were important in my own growth as an educator and a leader.
As a brand new teacher with the Head Start program in 1973, I quickly realized that having another person in the classroom made sense. My EA and I had a relationship built on trust; we bounced ideas off of each other, shared observations about our students, reflected at the end of the day, and planned together for the following day or week. Our students’ success was a reflection of our teamwork. Those EAs I worked with were paraprofessionals; they didn’t have college degrees, but they had life experiences which I appreciated, and we learned from each other. To this day, I realize how fortunate I was to have had the opportunity to partner with these EAs.
Educational assistants are essential in their support for their school. Our EAs arrived at 7:00 and were out in the halls or the cafeteria, greeting students and making sure they could start the day on a positive note. They greeted the buses and escorted students to their waiting areas. They opened car doors in the drive-through lane; they knew which students might need a positive affirmation before sending them off to their classrooms when the bell rang. After school, our EAs escorted students to the buses, were out in the hallways to monitor students, and assisted teachers and office staff. Their assistance was indispensable.
Even the most efficient teacher can’t see everything or work with every single student who may be struggling in a classroom. An EA can be that extra pair of eyes and ears, and they can redirect a student or provide an intervention or answer a question without disrupting the lesson for the rest of the class Teachers have so many things to do to prepare, and educational assistants can be a great help in getting materials ready for the day’s lessons or to pitch in when the teacher needs something done in a hurry or when an unexpected crisis occurs. EAs can be very useful in taking data used to create goals and objectives for students with Individualized Education Programs. That data is important in determining how a student is progressing on their IEP.
Additionally, students or parents may feel more comfortable sharing personal information with EAs. When there is a crisis in the family, the EA may be the first one at the school to be notified especially if they live in the community where they work, and services or supports can then be provided to the student and his/her family.
Schools and districts across the country suffered during the pandemic as educators struggled with new responsibilities to ensure that learning continued in a safe environment. I was retired by then, but I spoke with several principals including Ernest Muh, Principal at Helemano Elementary School. When he heard that I would be addressing you today, he asked me to recognize you EAs for what you did during the pandemic, You took on many additional responsibilities at the school including passing out lunches to families, cleaning and sanitizing classroom supplies and furniture, and doing other unexpected tasks that arose, all while continuing to focus on students and their academic, social, and emotional needs.
Your Union has provided a wonderful opportunity today for you to learn with other EAs. I thank you all for participating, and I hope you agree that this EA Institute is something that should be held yearly. As EAs, your professional learning is important because the expectations of your job will continue to change in a world that is constantly changing. I was appreciative when the EAs at our school asked if they could receive professional learning and if they could have time to discuss issues that impacted them. They chose the topics and we arranged for someone from our staff or the District to provide that learning opportunity for them. If you don’t already have similar opportunities to learn and grow at your school, perhaps you can engage your fellow EAs to request something similar from your administration.
Finally, have you thought about going to college to get a teaching degree? What’s holding you back? You already know how much you enjoy working with kids in a school. Teachers continue to leave the profession, and we need people to replace them, people who have the heart for working with kids. It won’t be easy, but if you aspire to be a teacher, then go for it! Check out the community colleges or other teacher education programs and look for financial aid or scholarships.
One thing I am very proud of is that several of the EAs I worked with at Head Start decided to enroll at Honolulu Community College. They attended classes while working as EAs, passed an exam, completed a portfolio to show their competencies in all the areas of early childhood education, and passed their verification visit. They attained a Child Development Associate credential which made them eligible to be hired as Head Start teachers. They started as parent volunteers, were hired as EAs, and then became teachers. I realize that requirements have changed since then, and it won’t be easy. But as Roy T. Bennett said, “Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.”
I started my presentation by sharing that the heart of a school is its students and that educational assistants are essential in providing the support that students need now and in the future. I’d like to end by sharing a poem with you. It was written in 1995 and was shared by the United Nations Children’s Fund. When I first heard this poem read aloud, I was very much impacted because these are the children we work with in our schools.
“We Pray for Children” by Ina J. Hughs
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