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'Growing Their Own.' Program Helps Longtime Parapro Become Ann Arbor Middle School Teacher
YPSILANTI, MI - Justin Harper's primary motivation for entering the education field was the potential to work with and have an impact on the lives of children.
After spending more than 14 years as a paraprofessional at three different Ann Arbor Public Schools elementary schools, Harper saw his chance to have an even greater impact in students' lives by taking steps to become a classroom teacher.
"The biggest thing for me was seeing their development and seeing them grow as people," Harper said. "I always loved having that relationship and being a mentor and leader for kids."
Three-and-a-half years later, Harper is part of the first class of nearly 20 to graduate from a free pilot program through the Washtenaw Intermediate School District that helps paraprofessionals take the next step toward becoming a certified teacher by earning another 60-64 credits to finish their post-bachelor's degree.
The program is intended to provide an immediate pipeline of qualified special education teachers upon graduation and many, including Harper, already have started working in the classroom as full-time teachers after graduating on Dec. 17 with a special education endorsement from Eastern Michigan University.
The pilot was approved by the Michigan Department of Education after it challenged districts across the state to find innovative ways to "grow their own" teachers due to a lack of new candidates entering the field.
Upon graduation, Harper stepped into his new role as a seventh-grade resource teacher at Slauson Middle School - a quick turnaround Harper credits to the effectiveness of the program.
"They're doing exactly what they said they would do," Harper said. "They're growing their own."
Harper sat down with MLive/The Ann Arbor News to discuss his journey from being a paraprofessional to becoming a teacher, including why education is his true calling.
The Ann Arbor News: What were some of your most valuable takeaways from participating in this program?
Justin Harper: The camaraderie of the peers in the cohort itself was very important. We all had prior experiences and different experiences, so I think coming to classes and sharing our experiences was insightful. It helped me, personally, grow and be able to try different things. I think there were also good teachers that cared and made me more aware of what I was stepping into. There's a difference between practicality and theory. When you hear it, it's one thing, but with the practices they (demonstrated) to us, I felt better prepared to step into a new realm of work.
AAN: Was there a moment or experience that inspired you to get into the field of education?
Harper: When I was growing up, I had different obstacles that I faced. I've always been passionate about all kids, but I think my deepest passion is being able to help kids that sometimes don't have that additional help that they need. That's what I've had in my heart in saying, "I'm going all the way with this."
AAN: There are well-documented challenges teachers are facing in the profession at this time. Why did you feel like now was a good time to take steps toward being a teacher?
Harper: It was definitely my calling. It was time because the opportunity was there for me to go ahead and do it. I credit the WISD and Eastern Michigan for creating this program that is so helpful for so many people. I don't think I know any other schools or universities who actually invest in their teachers so they can go ahead and have a career for free. That was a big part of the reason. Of course the kids are first, but that opportunity is not something I could have walked away from.
AAN: Can you explain why teaching in the area of special education was a calling for you?
Harper: When I was younger, sometimes I wish I had had a little additional help. For me to be in this position to be able to reach out and help fill in some of those gaps kids might have to be able to make a difference is special to me. Working with kids, I see how much help they need on a day-to-day basis. Teachers are with their kids, interacting, more than the parents. Those times that they're interacting, we are their examples and the ones making an impact. That is important for me to be that great example, so that they can learn and later be examples for others.
AAN: What have been the most rewarding aspects of working with students as a teacher?
Harper: One class that really stuck out to me is actually a different age range than the one I'm going to work with, but it was so practical. I loved the fact that the teacher actually brought students in for us to work with in real life situations. When you have teachers that are doing things like that with real, live resources that are able to help students, that showed what kind of program this is and the type of teacher he is. That inspired me along the way.
Related: 'It's a calling.' Woman achieves dream to be a teacher in new Washtenaw County program
Related: 'It's always been natural to me.' New program grants woman's wish of teaching special education
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Readers Write: State Seal, Perspectives Program, Earned Sick And Safe Time, Geopolitics, Nonviolence
Opinion editor's note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.
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I will leave the continuing discussions regarding our new state flag to others, while noting the comments of the great British philosopher Mick Jagger, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime you'll find you get what you need."
That said, I will forever ponder why the new state seal will feature a loon and not that performer beloved of generations of Minnesota children, Como Zoo's "Sparky the Seal."
Theresa J. Lippert, St. Paul
PERSPECTIVESThe 40-year-old Perspectives program, which provides child care, drug treatment. Mental health care and housing for low-income mothers and children ("Housing program ending services," Dec. 27), which has had to stop providing children's programming and clinical services because of funding problems, should be seen as a vital resource needed in Hennepin County.
Federal policy changes in Housing and Urban Development funds made Perspectives drop its original standard of being a sober treatment house for mothers and children. The results — having to accept mothers who were not seeking drug treatment — changed the population and program offerings and reduced the income stream from medical insurance reimbursement, causing insufficient funds to continue the children's and clinical services program.
Those services are too valuable to be dropped, and funding should be found to restore them. Hennepin County should fund those services permanently or until another funding system can be found.
Lois Willand, Minneapolis
EARNED SICK, SAFE TIMEOn Jan. 1, the state's earned sick and safe time (ESST) law goes into effect, giving working Minnesotans access to paid time off to care for themselves or a loved one.
This basic workplace benefit allows workers, regardless of their income levels, to prioritize health and safety over job loss concerns. Early in my working life, I remember milking cows, making pizzas, bagging groceries and serving meals in a nursing home and seeing my coworkers come to work sick, because they couldn't go without pay or risk losing their job. The new ESST law will change that.
When the ESST law goes into effect, employers must provide each eligible employee in Minnesota at least one hour of ESST for every 30 hours worked, up to at least 48 hours of accrued ESST a year. Our workplaces will be healthier, because our employees will have greater access to preventive care and medical treatment.
To help workers understand their ESST rights, employers, by Jan. 1 or at the start of employment, must provide key information about ESST to each worker. Employers must also include ESST information on employee earnings statements.
For much of my career, I have been lucky to work for employers with whom I didn't have to worry about taking time off to go to the doctor, for me or my family. Now, that protection is available to more Minnesotans. Fourteen other states and numerous cities have recognized the value of expanding access to medical and mental health care. With this new law, we are truly taking care of workers and increasing the health and safety of our communities.
I'm grateful to the partners and lawmakers who helped make this possible. I know this will make it easier for many of us to take care of ourselves and each other.
The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry is prepared to assist workers and employers and answer questions about the ESST law. For more information, visit dli.Mn.Gov/sick-leave.
Nicole Blissenbach, commissioner, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry
MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEMIn response to attacks by mental health patients ("Attacks reflect health system flaws," Dec. 23), it's appealing to think we should strengthen the commitment laws, but let's first ensure that effective treatment is available. The first episode psychosis teams you mention are an example of an effective treatment that is not covered by insurance even though most of the patients, who by and large are under 25, have insurance under their parents. The program is effective because reducing the duration of untreated psychosis decreases long-term disability.
Just like for cancer, if we treat early people do better. What we have to do is enforce parity laws that require insurance to cover mental health care of similar quality to other medical care and thereby create a good and modern mental health system.
Walter Rush, Minneapolis
The writer is a psychiatrist with a first episode psychosis team.
GEOPOLITICSGlaring national hypocrisy can come with a high price tag, in terms of lost credibility, damaged global prestige and diminished self-respect. President Joe Biden's decision to defend Israel's methods in Gaza so soon after, in a different context, condemning Russia's in Ukraine, is not just an event of anxiety for moralists. It's having a real-world impact on relations between the global North and South, and West and East, creating consequences that could reverberate for decades. The Biden administration, reluctant to change course, may say the parallels between Gaza and Ukraine are vague, but it is clear support on the world stage is declining.
By contrast, Vladimir Putin, after a period of his own global isolation, "really feels everything at this point is trending in his favor," says Fiona Hill, the former U.S. State Department official specializing in Russia. In a context in which many rising nations view the "international rules based order" with skepticism, Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov finds words easy to come by. Speaking at the Doha Forum in December, Lavrov complained: "The rules were never published, were never even announced by anyone to anyone, and they are being applied depending on what exactly the West needs at a particular moment of modern history."
Our newest confrontation with Iran, besides edging the world closer to a nightmare crisis, will only deepen the quagmire we are sinking into.
Steven Smith, Minneapolis
2024As we start the New Year, let's make a promise to ourselves and our community: to live without violence. This means more than just not being physically aggressive. It's about being empathetic, understanding and patient with others every day.
Nonviolence isn't just for big movements or famous people. It starts with each of us. When we're angry, we can step back and take a deep breath. If we don't understand someone, we can seek clarification. If someone is mean to us, we can stay peaceful. It's all about the words we use, how we say them and what we do in difficult situations.
This year let's promise to really listen to others, to talk kindly even when we don't agree and to see the good in everyone we meet. By doing this, we're not just making ourselves better, we're also making our communities a better place to live.
Seem too simple? Powerful ideas often are simple. What would the world be like if we all tried these simple ways of being?
Leonard Snyder, Bloomington
New Project Between Fire Departments In South Hampton Roads Allows More 'real-time Dispatching' Between Cities
Southside Hampton Roads fire departments have entered a memorandum of understanding allowing for the "seamless response" of fire apparatus and ambulances to emergencies in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach.
The five agencies have had a mutual aid agreement for years, but the new project integrates the computer-aided dispatch systems of South Hampton Roads 911 dispatch centers, allowing dispatchers to immediately dispatch fire engines, ladder companies, rescue companies, and advanced life support ambulances between the cities, Suffolk Fire and Rescue said in a release.
Fire Departments in South Hampton Roads began "automatic aid" responses across city lines in May 2015.
"The success of the automatic aid program is seen daily, as fire apparatus and advanced life support ambulances cross city lines to provide the citizens of South Hampton Roads with the closest and appropriate fire and emergency medical resources, despite which city the emergency incident occurs," the release said.
The cities of Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Suffolk and Portsmouth are launching a new tool to get the closest emergency equipment to the scene, no matter what city it comes from. Photo courtesy Suffolk Fire and Rescue The new project will allow the area's fire departments to better meet the goal of "real-time dispatching" of neighboring city's resources, the release said.
The area's fire chiefs have worked to improve computer-aided dispatch so that all area fire or emergency medical resources can be seen in each dispatch center. With the new "CAD to CAD connection", the closest appropriate fire department resource can be dispatched to the emergency, no matter where it is.
"The connection allows for the five South Hampton roads fire department's resources to be seen, in real time by all the dispatch centers so that the resources can be immediately requested for structural fires, mass casualties, active shooters, technical rescues, hazardous material releases, and any other emergency incident that occurs near city boundaries," the release said.
"Regionalism is about providing the closest and most appropriate fire department resource, despite what city the emergency occurs," said Suffolk Fire Chief Michael Barakey. "This is a celebration of the seamless training and policy development that all South Hampton Roads fire departments engage in to ensure all of our citizens receive the closest resources in their time of need."
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