"Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else" —Fred Rogers

 After six wonderful years working in the DCD room at the Waseca High School, I walked out the door on May 31st for the last time. 

After retiring from Carleton College in 2018 I knew I would get another job. I had always thought being a paraprofessional would be fun so I started applying. When I got hired I was super excited.

On my first day, I thought "Oh boy what did I get myself into! But by the end of the day, I knew I had found the job I had been looking for my whole life. 

Working with the students in our room has brought me so much joy. Even on the tough days I still came home knowing that my coworkers and I were making a difference in their lives. 

Coworkers....I don't even know where to begin.  

LuAnn Ross has been the best teacher and leader of the classroom that any of us could ever ask for. She guided me from my very first day until my last day. I never could have become the Para that I was without her. Not only was she my teacher but she became a friend. 

Over the six years working in the classroom, we have had many Para's come and go. We have had so much fun. How can I ever forget Ali M and Alli L. They brought so much fun and craziness to the classroom every day. The students loved them. And Kari, she was my first partner. She taught me all the basics of being a Para, and I needed to be taught everything. Tanya was so kind to me when I walked in the door with a deer-in-headlights kind of look. She was the first one to talk to me and make me feel welcome. LuAnn assigned Shelly and me with our students 5 years ago and we became a great team. She has been my partner in crime, confidant, and friend. We got so we just had to look at each other from across the room and we would know what the other one needed. We worked with some very challenging students over the years and we not only survived it but helped our students thrive and learn. I never would have made it without her. 

All of my coworkers/friends were so kind to me when my mom was sick and when she died. I don't think I could have gotten through it without their support. 

I talked a big game when it came to retiring. I had a countdown on my phone and calendar. I would remind everyone just how much time I had left. But really it was hard to leave. The last week the thought of leaving my students was so hard. I cried so much that last day saying goodbye to them. Really, in the end, it was the students that taught me so much. Every smile, every frown in frustration, every high-five, every hug, every achievement even if it was the smallest of things. That is what it was all about. 

People would often say to me "I have to be a special person to work in the DCD room." But what I say is I have had the greatest privilege to work with each and every one of my students. 

Time to relax and begin the next adventure....

Sharon