Melissa is the mother of four boys and an Educational Assistant for the Special Education Department at an elementary school in Wisconsin. This is her first year working in a school. She finds it very rewarding and loves being able to work one on one with students.

Her Day

My day starts when I finally get out of bed once my 7th alarm goes off at 6:30. I wake up my four boys to get ready for school, while I get myself ready for work. I drop two of them off at high school and the other two at middle school, then I drive to the elementary school for my job.

As an Educational Assistant, I go all over the school and don’t stay in one place too long. My day can vary depending on the needs and behaviors of the kids I work with, but typically I go into different classrooms, one each in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade, to help specific students with subjects that they struggle with. I also get to go outside to get fresh cold air while I supervise two recesses.

Next, I spend the loudest part of the day supervising 175 2nd and 3rd graders at lunch. The only downtime I usually get is the 30 mins for my personal lunch, which I spend at my desk.

My favorite part of the day, however, is when I get to go into the Special Education classroom and work with five nonverbal students. After the dismissal bell rings, I either help kids get on their buses or I ride the Special Education bus with four students to help them get home safely.

After work, I head home. My boys are already there, since their dad picks them up after school. The evening is spent hanging out with them, making sure they get their homework done, and making and eating dinner.

As the evening winds down and my boys get to bed, I take some time for myself and do puzzles while I watch a true crime show. Then, after making sure all my alarms are set, it’s time for me to get to bed so I can get enough rest to do it all again the next day.

Personal

What are some of your goals? A couple of goals that I have are to learn basic signs in American Sign Language, keep a journal about the interesting interactions I have at work, and to build up a savings account after paying off the credit card. 

What are the biggest struggles in your life? I sometimes struggle with having the patience for my own children after being overstimulated by so many kids at work. 

What do you enjoy doing? I like to read, do puzzles, watch true crime shows, listen to podcasts, and play board games with my boys.