Education support professionals work behind the scenes to keep schools running and students safe. From janitorial staff to paraeducators, they are crucial in helping teachers focus on student achievement.
Supports include IEPs and 504 plans that provide a variety of accommodations for students. These accommodations can continue when students go to college, though colleges aren’t always willing to match the benefits that high school offers.
It’s a Safety Net
Education support professionals are the backbone of every school. They keep students fed, transport them to and from school, provide them with the individual attention they need in classrooms, and so much more. From secretaries to paraeducators, custodians to bus drivers, cafeteria workers to security staff, they all play an important role in promoting student and school success.
While there may be stigmas surrounding the concept of educational support, it’s important to realize that these services are not only essential to the lives of many, but also help open a broader and more level avenue for learning and success.
“It’s really about a safety net,” York explains. “There’s accommodations like a 504 plan, but then there’s IEP (individualized education programs). An IEP includes modifications that are specific to the student.”
It’s a Way of Life
Education offers many societal benefits that benefit us all. It makes people more aware of the issues around them and allows them to contribute to society in a positive way. It also helps to improve a person’s quality of life as well as their finances. Educated people are less likely to live in poverty and are more able to secure a job that pays enough for them to be comfortable. They also tend to have more money for a stable home and are more willing to help their community in whatever ways possible.
Educational support workers are the key to a safe and accessible learning environment. Whether as note takers, personal assistants, or health care assistants, they are crucial to the whole student learning experience. MSEA has a strong track record of helping education support professionals win decent wages, better working conditions and respect for the valuable role they play in schools across the state.
It’s a Right
Education opens the doors of opportunity and gives our youth a fighting chance in life. In America, it is a legal right to have access to public schools. And yet the Trump Administration continues to pursue a dangerous, anti-public school agenda.
Whether by draining school funding, pushing private school vouchers, or allowing ICE to raid schools, the White House’s policies put children at risk. The ESP community is united in opposition to these dangerous and destructive directives, which exacerbate the culture war.
Education support professionals work hard to keep our students safe and nurture a positive learning environment. From janitorial staff to paraeducators to college professors, they deserve respect and recognition for their critical roles in our schools and colleges. They should enjoy the same status, rights and conditions as other education personnel with similar qualifications and experience, as defined in the Education International Declaration on the Rights of Education Support Personnel. This is not a political issue, it’s a human rights one.
It’s a Stigma
While we’ve made great strides in understanding mental illness and prioritizing its needs, stigma is still prevalent. Social stigma involves societal perceptions of mental health challenges as a sign of weakness or personal failing and results in ostracization. Self-stigma occurs when people internalize these negative perceptions, leading to shame and reluctance to seek help.
Education is one way to dismantle mental health based stigma by raising awareness and fostering empathy. Public awareness campaigns, inclusive policies and open conversations all work together to create a more compassionate culture in which individuals with mental health issues can feel valued and supported.
Providing educational support to teachers and other education staff is another important step. Our 2020 Teacher Wellbeing Index revealed that 30% of teaching and education professionals consider there is a stigma to speaking about their mental health needs at work. Providing resources like a private counsellor or covering psychological programmes as part of their workplace insurance can provide teachers with the ability to seek professional help if needed without fear of the stigma that may follow.