This week, I sat down with one of my best friends and fellow elementary education majors Jenna. She’s a hard-working student who worked this past summer as a paraprofessional and is continuing to work towards her degree as a full-time student here at Lasell. I didn’t know much about what being a paraprofessional meant, so I asked her some questions about her experience with that job as well as her experience in Lasell’s education program. Keep reading to find out what Jenna said!
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself!
A: My name is Jenna Rose Grasso and I am 21 years old. I am a junior (class of 2023) elementary education major here at Lasell University. Some of my hobbies are hanging out with my boyfriend, baking, and playing golf. My family is my mom, Mary; my dad, Anthony; my brother, Andrew; and my sister, Chrissy. We have a two and a half year old dog named Bruno. My boyfriend’s name is Nick Brady, and he studies architecture at Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Q: What is a paraprofessional?
A: A paraprofessional is an adult in the classroom that is assisting the lead teacher while they are teaching the students.
Q: What are your roles as a paraprofessional? What’s the time commitment?
A: A paraprofessional’s role in the classroom can be anything from prepping materials for the teacher to assisting students in the classroom while they are working or teaching students if the lead teacher needs them to. The time commitment is that they arrive a little before the students do and leave after the last student does. My time commitment would be 8:30am to 3:30pm, which is the school day at the school where I work.
Q: Is being a part-time paraprofessional a paid position?
A: Yes, this is a paid position, and it is usually a set amount. For example, I make $81 per day since I have a high school diploma but once I have a Bachelor’s degree it would increase to $91 per day.
Q: How do you think your time as a paraprofessional will help you in your future teaching career?
A: My time as a paraprofessional has helped me become very comfortable in the classroom and around children. It also made me realize that I love working with the younger students since I have been a para with preschoolers and kindergarteners. I have been given many opportunities to teach the students on my own if the lead teacher was absent since the school where I work knows that I am an elementary education major and trusts me to lead and teach twenty-five 6 year olds by myself, which is an awesome experience for me.
Q: Would you recommend others to try being a paraprofessional if their future goal is to teach? Why or why not?
A: Yes, I would definitely recommend it. This job helps you realize if you want to be in the classroom everyday working with children. It made me realize that I want to be a teacher since I love watching their little minds grow and think.
Q: What do you like about the elementary education program here at Lasell? Why?
A: There are a couple things that I like about the elementary education program at Lasell. The first being that they push you to have your MTELs (tests for teacher licensure) done before you graduate. It made me work harder since I was studying for MTELs during my semesters, which also helped me with my time management skills. I also love how the professors in the education department push you to be your best self and want your best work and effort since you are going to want the same while you are a teacher.
Q: Why do you want to be a teacher? What grade would you like to teach?
A: I have always wanted to be a teacher ever since I was ten years old. My third and fourth grade teachers made me realize I wanted to teach since I love the subjects I learned from them and they made school and learning fun.
Another one of the main reasons I wanted to become a teacher has to do with my grandparents. When I was 13, they each died one month apart from each other due to cancer. Even though there was nothing I could really do at the time, this made me realize one thing that I could do in the future: teach the kids that will grow up to be the doctors that cure cancer one day. I don’t want anyone else to go through this same experience that I had, and as a teacher I have the power to make some positive change towards this goal by teaching our future doctors.
I am hoping to teach anywhere from first to third grade. I do love the younger kids, so that is why I am doing my senior year practicum (student teaching) in a first grade classroom.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
A: For anyone that is thinking of being a teacher, they should definitely try being a paraprofessional in a school setting. While being a camp counselor can make a person think that they want to be a teacher, actually being in the school setting can affirm or deny if they want to be in school everyday with children.
I also would like to add that I would have never gotten this job without the help of my wonderful mom since she is a Speech Pathologist Assistant at John Ashley Kindergarten School in West Springfield, MA. This is where they gave me the chance to be in the classroom and realize how much I cannot wait to be a teacher!
I hope you all enjoyed learning about Jenna and what it means to be a part-time paraprofessional while also being a full-time student studying to be a teacher. Thank you so much for letting me interview you Jenna!