March 5, 2023
Often, students come to our school at 440 River Road, from a community school. The goal is to equip the student and their community school with the tools, skills and knowledge they need for a successful return to a community school.
Instructional assistants play an important role in the education of children with developmental disabilities at St.Amant School and the journey of building those skills for the students.
Hilda Perez has worked at St.Amant School for 14 years as an Instructional Assistant or “IA”. Norman Malit recently celebrated five years working at the school, where he started in a casual role and moved into a permanent one after six months. Alily Canubas has been working at the school for three years as it managed the waves of the pandemic. The Instructional Assistants share their experiences and insights on the job.
“We work as a bigger group, we’re not just focusing on one student, we’re focusing on the whole classroom,” said Norman.
“What I like about St.Amant is that you are not alone. You work as a team,” said Alily.
In their roles as Instructional Assistants, they support students in achieving their individual program goals. These goals can range from academic tasks to physical activities. They often work with specialists such as speech therapists, music therapists, and physiotherapists.
“A community classroom is not the right fit for me but this is. It’s rewarding, you make strong connections with the kids and other staff. We’re able to communicate with teachers and all the specialists we have at St.Amant,” said Norman.
The number of students they work with varies, with some classes having one-on-one support while others have team support for a larger group of students. They work with different students throughout the day.
“One of the goals for students is to return to public school. It is sad to see them go but it is a success story,” said Norman.
Reaching the students’ goals not only benefits the students themselves but also their families in the transition process back to public school or work or day programming after they graduate.
The motivation for working at St.Amant School varies among the three staff. Hilda was a teacher in the Philippines and wanted to share her knowledge with students. At the same time, Norman enjoys working with students with developmental disabilities and the team aspect of the job. Alily values the team aspect and feeling part of a group, as well as the opportunity to learn from the students.
“I was a teacher back home in the Philippines, I’m sharing my knowledge and every day I learn from the students too. We guide and teach them but we can learn from our students. And that’s why I decided to stay,” said Hilda.
The staff enjoy access to e-learning and training courses, which they consider a big help in their personal and professional development. They appreciate the support they receive from the organization.
Alily shares, “One of the best things about working here is you have access to resources to reach the students’ goals. If you need it, we can get it.”
“I have so many happy memories. One of my favourite memories is when they graduate. I can’t help but cry, I’m going to miss them but I’m happy for them. They’ve reached their goals in their lives,” reflects Hilda.