What was your involvement in the community before working here at the high school?
“Really just the newspaper. I’m from Kokomo, I’d never been to Logansport until I got the job at the newspaper. And I just absolutely fell in love with Logansport, the school and the people. So yeah, everything that I’ve been involved with has really just been based in the newspaper, pretty much.”
What led you to become so involved with the students here?
“I think with the students, it was just the kids are so amazing here. I’ve always gotten along better with younger people than with people my own age. But I never considered a career in teaching, education or anything like that, because I thought I was too shy to do that. As I got to know the kids through the theater and choir, I just saw how amazing everybody was and I just really wanted to support them, kind of be their champion if I could.”
What exactly is it you do here at the high school?
“I am a special education instructional aide [in Mrs. Eurit’s class]. We have a program here where the kids can go out into the community throughout the day and work at different jobs and just kind of develop job skills and social skills. So I go out with the kids each Monday through Thursday, we usually go to two places in the morning and two places in the afternoon. That could be anything from folding pizza boxes at Pizza Hut to working in the cafeteria at the hospital. Today, we started at Home Depot, one of the kids pushed the carts out in the parking lot, and later on, we went to Mary Max Theater, where a couple of the kids helped clean the theaters. So it’s really just a fun way for them to get out and learn new skills. Fridays, I get to spend the day in the classroom, which I really love.”
How did the job opportunity arise?
“I have wanted to work at the school for a couple years now. I was always making up jobs that I thought Mrs. Starkey should hire me for. They were usually writing-based. I actually did a freelance story for the newspaper about Lewis Cass and their special education program. I had such a great time with those kids, and they were just so cool. I went home, and I posted on Facebook that I felt like I missed an opportunity to work in special education. After I posted that, someone posted like, ‘There’s actually a job opening here.’ So I applied for the job, and things got moving and now I’m here.”
What do you enjoy most about your job?
“This has been the most fulfilling couple of weeks that I’ve had, just getting to help the kids learn and take them out into the community and see them do things and just create opportunities for them. It’s been amazing. Every night when I leave, I’m just feeling so fulfilled, like I did something important each day.”
What are the downsides to your position, if there are any?
“Kids are kids… There really haven’t been any yet. There are challenges, of course, as for any classroom, but the kids are just so special. They’re just really amazing people, and it’s so much fun to work with them and get to know them and help them navigate the world.”
