Janet Mitchell is a para-educator at Creative City Public Charter School where she has worked for about four years. This year she is supporting the fourth and fifth grades. Before joining the staff of CCPCS, Ms. Mitchell was a para-educator at another school.
Your coworkers say you love helping others and you’re always working. How do you stay motivated, especially during these difficult times?
Staying motivated during these challenging times include me digging deeper into my skill and the way I teach it. I believe the way a skill is taught is more important than the skill itself. That is why I do what it takes to get a positive solution when I understand any need.
We hear that you are always ready and willing to learn new things so you can better support the children and the teachers. What has that learning process looked like this year?
This year my learning process involves listening to educators and students. This gives me the opportunity to identify some needs of our school. Being an Instructional Support Staff member does not always detail my responsibilities. No matter what, students come first!
The District has listed your school as one of the schools that may be returning to in-person instruction before January. The union has argued that it’s not safe for students and teachers to return at this time. What is your take on this? What would need to be in place before you felt safe returning to school?
One of the ultimate desires needed to return to the building is to have a 100% cure for the coronavirus disease.
How can BTU support you and your coworkers at this time?
BTU fights for us at a level that we can`t fight alone and still do our job. This year they are also offering learning opportunities, just to name an example. It would be nice if we, para-educators, were able to advance.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Continuous prayer, obeying the law of the land, and showing constant love for each other will help us bring this epidemic to an end.