Kristen Robinson, K-12 Teaching Apprentice, Attending West Georgia University, Employer: Haralson County School System
Funded by GaDOE Rural Teaching Apprenticeship Grant (DOL-ABA2)
I was not a successful college student right out of high school. This unfortunately gave me the mindset that a degree just would not be for me. I earned a technical certificate and worked in healthcare for several years. During this time I married and started my family. A brief stint as a stay at home mom made me realize that was not the life for me. So to be able to work and be on the same schedule as my children and with encouragement from family who are educators, I became a certified paraprofessional. I immediately fell in love with the job. I started out in Special Education and over the next several years went back and forth from SPED to GenEd. I currently work in middle grades special education and feel this is where I am meant to be. Early in my para career one of my children was diagnosed with autism and I feel this personal experience helps me see my job from a different perspective. Paras are a valuable part of the classroom, but I know I have so much more to give and earning a degree will make that happen. Being a working mom made college seem almost impossible, financially and logistically, but this program will help me achieve my dream and be able to further my career in the district I already love working in.