This mother saw a need and filled it. She is now a paraeducator and the “backbone of the school.”

In the fall of 2021, Butterworth was hired as a general education paraeducator at Farmland Elementary School in Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, a large district outside of Washington, DC.

Entering her fourth year in office, Butterworth spoke with EdSurge for our new series, “Role Call,” which highlights the sometimes-unobtrusive school staff who help shape every child’s day.

Butterworth explains what prompted her to take the job, how unpredictable the days can be, and what people don't understand about schools today.

The following interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

EdSurge: How did you end up here? What led you to become a teaching assistant?

Chaula Butterworth: For better or worse, it was the pandemic. Our school district was trying to speed up the process of getting students back to school, and my youngest son really needed to go back to school. My two older children, who were in private school, had been back since the fall (of 2020), and public schools weren’t going to open again until mid-March (of 2021).

I wanted to first show my support for the teachers. I know that many of them were apprehensive, nervous, scared, so I thought I could do something about it too.

It was important to me to do what I said if I wanted schools to reopen. I wanted teachers to feel heard and seen and for my own child to go back to school. I figured I would do what I said.

I actually started out as a classroom monitor… and when the 2020-2021 school year ended, the administration where I worked told me: “Hey, if you want to be a monitor, come back and let us know.” And so I did.

When people outside of school ask you what you do, such as at a social event, how do you describe your job?

“Paraeducator” is a pretty confusing term, but a lot of people don't know what it is. If I tell them I'm, for example, a teacher's assistant, that's more descriptive for people who aren't in the education field.

I was told, even before I joined MCPS, that paraeducators are the backbone of the school. I thought, “Yeah, people just say that.” But no, I know from my experience and from working with the other paraeducators who are on the Farmland team, that we do everything that is thrown at us at the drop of a hat. We’ll cover a class when a teacher, all of a sudden, gets sick. (Maybe) we’re needed in the cafeteria because one of our coworkers, another paraeducator, has gotten sick. Or we’re short-staffed in the office and they ask us if we can go answer the phone for a bit.

It's not just about the students, although that's the main thing, but we're quite versatile. At Farmland, the assistants are all women. We're kind of all-rounders.

What is a hard day like in your role?

We are in classrooms, at lunch and recess, at arrival and dismissal, so students see us in many different places throughout the school.

Every now and then, a student is going through a really difficult time, and because they've seen us in a few places and we've worked with them, they come to us and say, you know, 'My mom's in the hospital,' or 'My dog ​​died,' or 'My dad's overseas… and I don't know what I'm going to do with him next.'

I'm in an elementary school, so sometimes the students are pretty young, but that doesn't mean they don't have big feelings or important things going on in their lives. Sometimes there's just no easy way to help a child get through that, other than listening to them. I feel like I can't fix this, but today I can be a good listener.

Other times, it's when we're short-staffed and we really aren't enough. That's a tough day.

When you say lack of staff, do you mean paraeducators or the entire school?

Two school years ago, one teaching assistant was on sick leave and then another had a death in his family in another country. We were without two teaching assistants for three or four weeks, and that's a long time.

At my school, we handle lunch and recess, so when we're short-staffed, we don't have the same number of aides to spread out across all the lunches and recesses. So we step in to help out a little bit more. It's part of the job, but it also means that it's time that we can't spend in a classroom working or in small groups with students. And that's hard because that's where the fun happens—some of the learning, the change, the moments of inspiration are there.

Part of it is that we may not know until we walk into school. It's not unusual to walk in and get a text saying, “Hey, we need you to cover this teacher's class,” or “We're going to be short-staffed. Make sure to check the lunch and recess schedule.” So, going back to being the backbone, in addition to supporting a lot of the structures and learning within the school, we're also incredibly flexible. Our assignments can change in an instant.

What does a really good day look like?

For me personally, when I work with a student (whether it's math, reading, or social studies), the light bulb goes off and the student makes that connection or can understand how that math formula works. That's always rewarding, (to know) that I've helped a student learn something new that will help them learn even more new things. Those are good days.

The days when students come up to you and say, “Thank you for being here, Ms. Butterworth,” and give you a quick hug, that's just wonderful. Getting recognized in the community, that's not part of my school day, but knowing that there are students that we have an impact on is powerful.

It seems that the student aspect is the most rewarding and rewarding part of this job for you. How do you see it when you are in the classroom?

At Farmland, when the school year starts, we have our homework assignments. Last school year, I worked with a fifth grade class for almost an hour in the mornings, during reading and writing time. I would come in when the teacher had everyone started on homework. There were a handful of students that I worked with in a small group. A couple of them were English learners.

I also helped a fifth grade class with math, and a lot of the students were also learning English, so I just helped try to break things down into parts so they could understand the math function. And then I helped a fourth grade class with math.

Those of us in the general education group are assigned classes for specific periods or blocks of learning. This is how my school utilizes general education assistants.

What would you like to change in your school or in the educational system in general today?

I wish more people knew what really goes on in a school.

I've been saying for a long time that teachers are social workers, they're truancy officers, they're parents, they're guardians. I mean, teachers play a huge role in a child's life, and beyond that, so do paraeducators and administrators. There's a lot that goes on in a school, and it's not just about learning. We need school counselors. We need our building maintenance staff. We need everything to be up and running.

I think it's easy sometimes to overlook what we do, what's being done in schools. We're shaping the future. We're helping young minds grow and hopefully become really engaged people as they grow up, engaged in their learning, engaged in their community. And so, to anyone who has the opportunity to volunteer at their child's school, I say, “Yeah, you should do it. You should go and see what happens.” It's a great place. There's fun, there's drama, there's anxiety, there's all the emotions, but it's all for the good.

At our school, among the 800 students we have, there are 65 to 70 different languages ​​spoken. From memory, I know that there are Russian, Ukrainian, Afghan, Israeli and South Korean families. There is everything. The school is a microcosm of the larger community around it, so it is interesting.

Your role gives you unique access and perspective on today’s youth. What have you learned about young people through your work as a paraeducator?

I have three kids, so I've always known that kids are like sponges and they soak up everything, even the things you don't want them to soak up. But they want to do well. They want to try to do better. Whether they say, “I wasn't a very good friend today,” or “I didn't do as well as I wanted to on that assessment,” they seem willing to ask for help, which is a good thing.

Sometimes we all just need a helping hand.