Paraprofessional Voices: What We Love About Our School

Trevor Abel, Dean of Students

One of the many groups of people who have a profound effect on the learning of scholars here at MELA are our paraprofessionals. Paraprofessionals are multi talented individuals who provide instructional, behavioral and other support to scholars both inside and outside of our classrooms. We have paraprofessionals who work with individual students as well as support small groups of students. They work with our classroom teachers to meet and support the individual learning needs and goals of our scholars. 

We are fortunate to have six qualified individuals who serve our school as paraprofessionals. They are in a majority of our classrooms and do great work every day. One of the strengths of our paraprofessional team is their ability to build and maintain relationships with students. Most of our students know who they are, even if they are not in their classroom on a regular basis. Our paras each bring flexibility, and their own strengths to help us meet our goal of providing the best educational experience possible for our student population. 

Here are some things that our paraprofessionals LOVE about working at MELA:

"One thing I appreciate about MELA is its small size. I can see our slogan, 'The Little School with the Big Heart,' at work each and every day. Constantly I see kindness and willingness to help from not only my own students, but students from every grade level. I feel that our small size grants me the opportunity to build relationships with scholars that I might not otherwise get a chance to see."

"Another thing I love is our after-school program on Wednesdays. I enjoy seeing scholars from almost every class play and interact with each other, while doing new activities that bring out their creativity. Additionally, I enjoy being able to spend time with the scholars that I otherwise don't get the pleasure of having in my own class."

"There is always a staff member to come by and cheer you up."

"I love the support and confidence that we get from our teachers."

"I love how we work together as a family here at MELA."

Our paraprofessionals are an integral cog in the MELA machine and we could not achieve our organizational goals and mission without their tireless work. So thank you paraprofessionals, one of the things we love about MELA is YOU!