Spotlight of Nailson Fernandez and Lindsay Elliot

Recently, I sat down with Nailson Fernandez, a first year JET Scholar in Brockton, and Lindsay Elliot, a JET Scholar in her last year of her Bachelor’s degree in Brockton, to talk about their experiences within  the JET program. Both Ms. Fernandez and Ms. Elliot shared a lot of insight, gave sage advice to incoming  JET Scholars, and echoed messages of hope in the midst of a tumultuous period in the field of education. The following features the questions I posed and both of their paraphrased responses.

Question: Share your name and current role. 

Nailson: Hi! My name is Nailson Fernandez. I’ve been working as a teacher assistant at a school for students with special needs in Brockton for the past 2 years. I work with 10 students and 3 adults in one classroom, and the students are between 14-21 years old. 

Lindsay: Hi! I am Lindsay Elliot. I am currently a senior in my Bachelor of Education program with a licensure concentration in Pre-K-2nd grade. I also work as a paraprofessional in a 1st grade inclusion class while in tandem doing my student teaching hours for UMass.

Question: What was your background prior to joining the JET program?

Nailson: I’ve been working in school communities since 2017. I started off working with really little kids, and I loved working with themI got recognized for my work there and thought being at a school was good for me. Then I moved to Brockton in 2019 and worked on the school staff at a school for students with special needs. But in 2021, I decided to apply for a teaching assistant position when it opened up, and I got it! So I’ve been doing that ever since. 

Lindsay: Prior to joining JET, I was a paraprofessional in a Life-Skills Special Ed K-5 class for 7 years. But before I just always said that I wanted to be a nurse, and so I got a job in the nurse’s office at a school. And I loved it, but I always missed the classroom. It took leaving what I was doing to realize that I needed to go back to that.  I realized that this is my calling, my purpose, and my true passion. 

Question: How did you hear about JET?

Nailson: One of my friends that I worked with encouraged me to apply because she thought that I would be a good teacher. And I kind of agreed with her! She told me about JET and it seemed like a good fit for me so I applied last year. 

Lindsay: I heard about JET through an email from my workplace. I followed up to just get more information. 

Question: What motivated you to join the program?

Nailson: I heard about how much the program really helps people who want to become teachers, and that they have really interesting connections to help with that. So I thought it would be a good idea for me.

Lindsay: I saw the ease of the steps to participate in the program. It’s not like you sign up and you’re overloaded with a ton of things to do at once. It’s a gentle, progressive, and supportive approach. It was also the first opportunity that I saw in my 7 years as a paraprofessional that encouraged me to move up and grow in my career. 

Question: What has been your most valuable experience thus far as a JET member?

Nailson: I feel like everyone at JET really cares about me! They make me aware of information and resources that are really helpful. For example, we had an informational meeting with a speaker on January 17th, and at that meeting I learned so much about the program and about helpful things for my teaching career. In general though, I feel really connected to people on the team. I always feel remembered, and in the times when I feel like giving up, I know someone from JET will always reach out to me and let me know how they can help.

Lindsay: The collaboration, the honesty, and the dedication of the other people within the cohort I feel is the best part. We don’t pretend that it’s not hard work, but together we say “Yes you can, if you have passion, and you try, and you care”. But we all know there’s going to be days where you’re going to feel defeated, cry, and want to quit. Knowing this, we all give each other a lot of encouragement to keep going. There’s just so much team spirit.  

Question: What advice or lessons do you have for incoming JET members?

Nailson: I would say to go for it! It’s a great thing to sign up because you never know what path it might lead you to. JET has a lot of resources to help you figure out what you want to do, no matter where you’re at.

Lindsay: I would say to yourself that you have to plan for what you want. Start small, and re-evaluate your study habits. If something isn’t working, really dig deep to figure out what you can do differently. This program is the future, and you don’t have to do what you’ve always done. It’s ok to try something new!

Question: What, in your opinion, makes JET unique in its mission? Where do you see room or opportunities for it to grow as an organization?

Nailson: The way everyone-the staff and the other participants- talk and communicate is welcoming. I love the way that JET runs meetings. It really makes you feel encouraged and strengthened by the community. 

Lindsay: I respect the fact that the people who run it, like Pam and Angie, are real, hardcore, educational experts who have been in the trenches of education work. JET is a place for people to learn from people who know.  And they’ve made it such a genuine and welcoming space where I feel ok to ask questions. They really help you to understand your choices when it comes to things like financial considerations, which is a big fear for people. I think they just need a little bit more publicity to raise awareness. So many people out there may be close to realizing their dreams that JET can help them with. 

Question: What motivates you to be an educator despite the structural challenges in the field of education?

Nailson: To be honest, there were a lot of times I thought about giving up with the amount of work that we have to do in our jobs. It can be really stressful. But I’m not someone who gives up easily. I’m motivated by wanting to learn, especially when I know I’m learning to become a better person for kids that need me. I like having opportunities to become more educated to teach them. I also always feel motivated by the conversations I’ve had with my students and my memories with them keep me going when it feels hard. 

Lindsay: The excitement of the future keeps me going. I know that once I get to a teaching position, I have the potential to move up and get involved with committees that talk about educational policies that impact different stakeholders. I also just genuinely love kids. Being able to be with them and letting them be comfortable with who they are is something that inspires me. 

We at JET thank Ms. Fernandez  and Ms. Elliot for their time, their thoughtful reflections, and diligent work as JET scholars!

Interested in applying for the JET Program? Contact jetintoteaching@gmail.com for more information.