Paraprofessionals Turn Parental Experience Into Professions
La Mesa-Spring Valley school district’s Special Education department is committed to excellence in supporting and enabling students to thrive from TK throughout their elementary school time.
There’s no better testament to that commitment than from two parents who have become paraprofessionals themselves within LMSV, thanks to their own children’s personal experience navigating the system.
Krystal Kemery and Teri Andre are current paraprofessionals in the district. Each was impressed by their own children’s progress and decided to join LMSV to help other children.
Krystal’s son is now a student at STEAM Academy, who started at Sweetwater Springs in the Head Start program, and began PreK at Maryland Elementary in a Special Day Class (SDC) that was equipped with a team to work with students who have special needs. Her son was verbally limited and would split time between a conventional classroom and time with paraprofessionals and specialists to help him with focused learning and to grow in specific areas.
Thanks to the program, says Kemery, her son became a full-time regular student in 4th grade. “Watching his growth was astronomical,” she smiles. “When he started at Maryland, he wasn’t talking, but when he left, he was in the school play! It was a musical – he had a speaking role and was singing and dancing. It was amazing to witness that growth and how the paras helped with his transition. Experiencing it all made me want to work with kids who also need that extra help.”
Kemery was in the Navy (and has since retired) when she started subbing at Maryland in August 2024. She currently works with TK students. “There are a lot of kids whose parents don’t have the tools to help their children grow through their challenges, like down syndrome or autisim, or to even know their child is having an issue. There’s such a need, and I wanted to be a part of the incredible growth that I’ve seen is possible.”
Aware that longevity is where transformation really takes place, Kemery advises parents to do two key things at home.
“Reading to your kids is instrumental in helping children grow their vocabulary. And talk to your child like any other person. Make them feel like they’re a part of the decision and don’t talk down to them. When you teach them they are valuable, they bring forth amazing stuff that you couldn’t imagine.”
As for advice for anyone considering becoming a para: “It’s definitely a labor of love,” she smiles. “You have to be able to talk to kids, play with them – especially in the younger grades – to hear what they have to say because you learn so much from them.”
Fellow paraprofessional Teri Andre joined the Avondale Elementary Special Education department eight years ago and recently moved to Highlands Elementary.
Her child, who is on the spectrum, was educated in La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools and is now starting college. “They were a really cute kid, very sweet but very non-communicative,” she explains. “I was the only one who knew everything they wanted when they were little, and I knew that something was up.”
In first grade, Teri’s child was diagnosed with autism and an auditory processing issue. “I was very happy with everybody in the school district who helped us, from the paras to the teachers,” recalls Andre.
A graphic designer at the time, she was able to modify her schedule to regularly help out in her child’s class. “Then I got to be friends with some of the paras, and they were the ones who whispered in my ear about taking it further,” she says.
When her company relocated, Andre took early childhood education units and began subbing. “I really liked the littles,” she smiles. “I love that age and I’ve been doing it for eight years now.”
Setting expectations and regular communication with parents of children with special education needs is imperative, says Andre, so that parents know that it is normal to take time for their child to adjust to school and thrive in the classroom. She encourages regular check-ins with teachers for reassurance, as well as knowing that each child’s care is tailor-made for them. “We acknowledge that every child is different. We get to know them, find out what makes them tick, and how to reach them.”
And of the remarkable transformations she gets to witness: “When I see a little kid who’s nonverbal and all of a sudden they build an intricate structure of Legos, I know they’re just at another level. Maybe they can’t tell you what they need, and you have to figure that out. But they certainly have something going on. They find something that motivates them, and they build this amazing creation because that’s what makes them tick. I really enjoy that.”
For parents coming in with an IEP for their child, Andre stresses they are in good hands. “We have great early childhood education and behavior support teams. They come up with a program with different methods to help your child. They are amazing.”
