Two New JET College Graduates
CONGRATULATIONS EMMANUEL & DEBORAH!!
JET proudly reports that two of its participants in the Boston Public Schools completed their bachelor’s degrees in December 2018 at the University of Massachusetts Boston. One of them also has passed all the necessary MTELs for teacher licensure in Early Childhood. Please read their stories below.
EMMANUEL LIMAGE - ACCELERATED HIS PATH TO TEACHING
Emmanuel is in the first JET Cohort of BPS paraprofessionals recruited in 2016. He transferred to UMassBoston in September 2016 so he could receive the Paraprofessional Teacher Preparation grant to help pay the cost of his courses. He was eager to complete his degree, taking 3-4 courses per semester, and it all came to fruition in December 2018. But that is only part of the journey to becoming a licensed teacher. Emmanuel also succeeded in passing all his MTELs (Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure) for the Early Childhood teacher license by December. This means that he will be a fully licensed teacher when he takes over a prek-1 classroom at the Mildred Avenue K-8 school in Mattapan in January, where he has been working as a paraprofessional for the past two years. But Emmanuel will not stop there; he is also working for a second teaching license in Elementary education.
DEBORAH BARABINO - DREAM DEFERRED, DREAM FULFILLED
Deborah is also in the first JET Cohort of BPS paraprofessionals recruited in 2016. Prior to that time Deborah had accumulated credits toward her bachelor’s degree at colleges outside of Massachusetts, taking courses as she could afford them. It was slow going and she often felt discouraged, but with the help of the Paraprofessional Teacher Preparation grant and the peer support of her JET cohort members, Deborah resumed her college course work at UMass Boston starting in September 2016. Now she’s a college graduate with a degree in History, a life-long dream. “Without the JET Program this would have remained a secret dream in my heart. The grant made it possible to pay for school but, the JET Program helped me finish the path. Not feeling alone in my quest was the single most important element in my success. The money helps but the support was/is invaluable.” Deborah continues to work as a paraprofessional at the Boston Community Leadership Academy as she completes her teacher licensure requirements in secondary History.
They both have attended JET Saturday seminars, which provide professional and career development information and support. The seminars are also an opportunity to gain the support of other JET cohort members as they share their experiences of juggling work, family and college courses. The JET seminars have become a learning community of educators.