Pam Aldenderfer
A Snapshot into the Life of a Paraprofessional
A Day in the Life of a Paraprofessional
Meet Pamela Aldenderfer. Everyone at the Academy calls her Mrs. A or Ms. Pam. She shows up to work every day around 6:50 a.m. and starts by putting yesterday’s lunch bags in her car. Then she walks around the building, turning on lights and checking that all the doors are secured. After that, Mrs. A checks her email and prints off fun memes from First Five and displays them on our bulletin board.
At 8:15 you can find Mrs. A at her desk ready to take lunch orders. She greets all the students with a smile, says good morning to them or asks how their night was. She then gives them an option of main (usually a hot meal), and PBJ. She marks these choices on a lunch sheet that is provided by WASD cafeteria. Once all students have arrived, Mrs. A will put away leftover milks from breakfast, count them, then change out today’s breakfast with yesterday’s breakfast. Mrs. A will collect breakfast sheets from classrooms, then count how many she will need for tomorrow. She will then count the main and PBJ’s that were ordered for the day. After that Mrs. A will call Lycoming Valley Intermediate School and give them our orders.
When orders are done, Mrs. A gets started on attendance. Mrs. A was taught how to do Alma by Dr. Scott. Once attendance is done, then we have to make phone calls home to ask about absences. While doing this Mrs. A may be answering phone calls, signing in visitors who are here for meetings, or to do work with our students. Deliveries also have to be checked in by Mrs. A, so she can keep in contact with our wonderful Alisha Ragan, she’s the best.
At 10:15, unless it’s Friday because of stopping at our BLaST office it would be 10:00 am, Mrs. A drives up to Lycoming Valley Intermediate School and swaps out yesterday’s lunch bags for today’s. Once back at the Academy, Mrs. A will check our mailbox before unloading her car. Mrs. A then will heat up water in the microwave to keep our hot foods hot, or place pizza’s in the oven to keep them hot. She will put cold veggies and fruits on a cart to be wheeled out to the cafe. She puts out bags, condiments, and sporks for students. When the students come they pick off the cart and come to Mrs. A for their choice that day and to get a milk. Mrs. A has first lunch which starts at 11:00 am and goes to 11:20 am. Then she packs up 2 lunches that she has to drive down to our new classroom at the Hope Building around 11:30, so she’s back for the second lunch which starts at 11:45 until 12:00. Her last lunch comes at 12:15. Then Mrs. A has to put all lunch items away, and starts piecing together tomorrow’s breakfast, which will require a fruit and milk. She also puts apple or orange juices on a tray to put in the fridge due to leaking. Sometimes students will ask to assist at lunch or to help with putting breakfast, and Mrs. A never turns them down. While doing this Mrs. A will also be answering phone calls, signing visitors in, maybe helping with a student, or staff.
Once a month, Mrs. A will type up our lunch menu’s and distribute them to classrooms. She has been known to make a mean Turkey and Cheese Sandwich or PBJ; only when WASD is closed, due to them not supplying us with lunches on those days. Mrs. A will do a Sam’s Club run for our PBIS store, or help with picking up PBIS Monthly Lunches.
Mrs. A is also our janitor. She will sweep, wash dishes, mop, disinfect, replace items that are out (toilet paper, paper towels, or even the batteries for the paper towel dispenser). She has been known to be ready with a screwdriver, tape measure, even a lint roller.
This is just a few of the many things that Mrs. A does. Her contributions to The South Academy go above and beyond her required duties every day. Her most valuable contribution is her time that she gives to our students. A lot of our students request to sit with her, or ask if she’s available to talk. Sometimes it’s giving them a quiet moment, a hug, or both. Mrs. A is there for always for a listening ear, hug, extra food, to play a game, encourage us, and to cheer us on. She is our biggest fan.
Get to Know Our Ambassador
Transcript
“Welcome to Blast the Airwaves with Blast Intermediate Unit 17. Here at Blast Intermediate Unit 17, we strive to transform lives and communities through educational services. On this podcast, we will provide you with educational solutions for all, no matter the learning environment. So teachers, administrators, caregivers, what are you waiting for? What would happen if we started questioning what if? What if we had a positive perspective on education? What if we flipped the switch on education? What if we were the solution?”
“Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Pam Aldenderfer, one of our BLAST Ambassadors here at BLAST Intermediate Unit 17. Within our organization, Pam serves as a para educator at our South Academy. Pam, thanks for joining us today to discuss your role within the organization and also your experiences throughout the Ambassador program. Are you ready to blast the airwaves?”
“I am so ready and thank you for having me!”
“So why don’t we start by you telling us a little bit about yourself and your role within the organization here.”
“When I first started, I was a paraprofessional in an emotional support classroom for over 20 years. They closed that classroom and of course, emotional support is all I know, so I opted to come to the Academy. I did a year and a half in a classroom at the Academy and now I am a floater, a cafeteria worker, the janitor, the secretary. I now wear a lot of hats, and I would not trade it for anything! I mean, I like this role better because I can be with all our kids instead of just the one classroom, I get them all and I love it.”
“I know a lot of the students love having you and I feel like if anyone goes down to South Academy, they’re like, Pam, oh yeah, we know Pam! Like, I feel like everyone knows Pam.”
“Yeah, and I feel bad because our organization is so large and people are like, yeah, I know. And I’ll be like hitting us like, who’s that? Because I don’t know, but they know me!”
“ Yeah, that always happens with a larger organization. So, we’ve spent a lot of time within the Ambassador Program discussing the Intermediate Unit as a system and how our system, sometimes our “silos”, right, impact other systems. Intermediate Units are very unique in that way. Can you share with our listeners why you chose the Intermediate Unit life or what you really enjoy about working at an Intermediate Unit?”
“Sure! I chose it – my aunt used to be a secretary for BLAST and I just had my first child and she’s like, “Well, we’re looking for a para for life skills classroom”. She was so mad when Marty put me into an emotional support, but I fit! I just loved it! I loved all the kids! I was ready to go. Originally I took it because I’m like, Oh, I got this baby, I’ll be able to stay home with them over the summer times, I didn’t realize the impact that these kids have on me and I’ve had on their lives and how a few of them from way back then to now that they’re adults still, Oh my gosh, Mrs. A here, my daughter’s starting kindergarten for the school. I’m like, Oh my gosh, don’t say that name. You’re making me feel old, but this is so awesome. I’ve ran into students, you know, in like their job, “Oh, my gosh, Mrs. A, so sorry, I was such a pain”. And I’ll be like, no, you weren’t. You were fine. You were exactly what you were supposed to be at that age. “I know, but you really helped and I’ve taken your sarcasm,I love your sarcasm. Thank you so much. You taught me that.” I’m like, great. That’s what you took from me. It’s the sarcasm. But it was someone who was always attached to drama. Peers that finally she was like, “Oh my gosh, I don’t need you like, well, thank you for noticing. Thanks for eating it. So that’s what she took. And she goes, I don’t let them get to me anymore. I just tell them, thank you. And I walk away. I’m like, good job.”
“Right. It’s always good when you have, sometimes in education, you don’t see the payoff until years down the road, but especially it makes it way more meaningful when you see your intent and then the impact you have. I think it’s always really, really helpful. So now that we established sort of your “why” for the Intermediate Unit life, and I did not know about the family connection too, so that’s exciting to learn, you are a paraeducator, and so why did you choose that specialty area? You talk sort of about your career path, but why are you, you know, enjoying the paraeducator piece, and what advice might you give our listeners who are looking to get into your area of expertise?”
“I knew I could never become a teacher. The first teacher I worked with tried to get me to go back to school and so I watched what they have to go through day in and day out and it’s not so much the education part, I will sit with a student and we will go through all the education. I will sit and teach you whatever you need to know, but God love teachers who can sit in meetings and sometimes have to deal with parents that may be escalated because of something that happened. I feel like I could never do that because I was too busy. I like to be with the kids. I like to give the kids what they need and sometimes I think sometimes their voices aren’t heard and when they leave and if they know that they had a problem with someone, I will find that person and say, Hey, can you try to talk to this one tomorrow? Because this is what they were feeling and I know you didn’t mean to do it, you know, but you got to straighten it out. It’s really hard to say, but I mean, if you love kids and you want to give them a positive role model and teach them there’s other ways to handle things that are going on that definitely, you know, be a parent. Because that, that’s who you get to work with, are the kids, and you, gosh, you will love them. And the teachers, they are awesome as well. I mean, sitting and watching what they do throughout a day, I have helped out so many, and there’s so many times where I’ve done probably more than what a para needs to, because when you click with your teacher, you don’t feel bad about like offering to help out like, Hey, what can I do as a para, how can I help you today? “
“It’s great when the teacher and the para click, like you said, it’s a dynamic duo and that’s always really beneficial for the students too. So wonderful. So through the Ambassador Program, you did get a chance to shadow a mentor outside of your division or program, which I assume was pretty exciting, especially because I know you were in the Division of Ed Planning.
So, I believe you got to sit on a science workshop with the new STEEL Standards that are out. So what did you notice or learn about this day?”
“It blew me away! I just assume like teachers are just being handed, here’s what we’re going to do and you’re going to follow this, and it blew me away. No, it’s not so much here’s what you’re going to do. You have to plan. Here’s how you need. If you’re going to give a test, you have to come up with your test. You have to come up with these specific answers and like certain things have to be in the answers. I just assumed, oh, we’re going to go with this curriculum, everything’s printed out for you, no. I was unfortunately there for their last days, but it was just enough for me to see like, oh my gosh, okay, so as your last day teachers, you have to come up with a test and I have to see all these things put in. I’m like, no, that’s just too cool! That’s whoa!”
“Curriculum work, a lot of times, I know you were specific on, I would like to see how curriculum processes and you only saw one day, but curriculum, resource writing, curriculum, mapping, curriculum audits, it’s a lot of work. So I’m glad you were able to sort of see that it’s not easy or anything like that.”
“Oh no, I came back and apologized. I’m like, I just want y’all to know I’m on your side.”
“That’s great. So each year we run our Ambassador program and sometimes we take a pause and we bring our cohorts together and look a little bit deeper. So we run our Ambassador program and then we start some new ambassadors and we mentor ambassadors throughout the process. Can you share your biggest takeaway from the program for any aspiring ambassadors?”
“Honestly, I really, I don’t know how to put it into words. I really enjoyed my time. I learned a lot. I didn’t realize how big our organization is, the different hats that are in our organization and it was just, it’s weird, I don’t know how to really put it in words. I would like to see, and I was trying to get some, it’s people here, like, you really should do the Ambassador program, you would be surprised on what all you learn, right, you’re with them, but it was just the fun of it on the to work with you and Cheryl Starr who, you know, HR, I’m sure people are like, uh, it’s HR, but now like you really get to know you guys as people and not just what you do here that it’s nice. And the other Ambassadors that Jess Durn and Candi Williams, oh my gosh, just great people!”
“It is a great group and it’s a way for you to get your voice heard and we appreciate, always the feedback and, and the opportunities where you guys, I just had Meg Ralston who was helping us out at something this past weekend. So it was great and it’s a great group to share our narrative as well. So yeah. Fantastic. So this is my favorite part. It’s our “Blast Five”, and we’re going to basically ask you five rapid questions for you to quickly answer. And they’re not related to work. They’re just related to you as a person, Pam. So are you ready to do this blast five here?”
“I think so.”
“All right. What’s your favorite genre of music?”
“Oh my gosh. 80’s.”“Good choice. What about your favorite read or your favorite book?”
“Favorite reads, Heather Graham, right now Kay Hooper, because I enjoy Paranormal, but with the FBI and stuff like that, suspense, so yes.”
“What about your favorite Netflix or TV show, TV series?”
“Right now it’s “Chosen”. I’ve really gotten into it. I was surprised at how much, wow, it made me open another book.
Yeah, perfect. I don’t think I’ve even heard, like, seen that one, so I’m gonna have to check that out. What about your favorite food or restaurant?”
“Favorite food would have to be Oyster Rockefeller’s from Parks, it was a restaurant in Florida that I am so missing right now because they’re closed.”
“I’m sure, not to mention it’s like cold outside right now too. What about your favorite motto or quotes? Maybe something you tell your students all the time”.
“Today is a good day to have a good day. That’s my favorite one. I mean, you make your day, you can sit with everything negative that’s happening today orr you can take that breath and refocus on something else to make you happy.”
“That’s great! Great motto there. So Pam, we cannot thank you enough for your time today. We know our listeners enjoyed it too. I’m sure they may want to connect with you further and I know right now with the paraeducator world, there’s lots of different pathways to certification. So,listeners, if you’d like to learn more about Pam and her pathway, you can check out her website at www.iu17.org. Pam, this has been a blast, no pun intended. Again, thank you for taking some time today to blast the airwaves with us and our listeners. It was a pleasure having you on the podcast. Take care. And I’m sure we’ll be talking soon.”
“Oh, thank you so much. Yes. And you as well!”
“We would like to thank you for blasting the airwaves with us today. If you like the show, please subscribe or leave a review. If you want to know more, check out www. iu17.org for further resources and show notes. As always, we want to thank you for what you do every single day. Remember, keep shining! We’ll be back next episode to provide you another educational solution for all, as we continue to transform lives and communities through educational services.