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| Pen and Ink 5" x 5" |
It was another day on the job, working with preschool children with severe mental delays. It is not a easy job, it requires a character of kindness, patience and a sense of humor. Some people overlook the importance of a teachers aid. The severely mental delayed population especially among preschoolers are the most vulnerable. And they must be protected, cared for, and educated. Teacher’s aide are the eyes and ears of the children especially the nonverbal. Without the help of the aide the classroom, the headteacher will have a difficult time gathering data / anecdotal in order to provide a lesson plan for the classroom.
The headteacher of this classroom was an excellent head teacher and had care in her heart, Maria Torres. She was a young teacher who wanted to make a difference.
Here in the sketch, is one of the four teacher's aide, Tory, comforting a child during nap time. During this time, which was rare, the classroom was filled with sleeping children and smoothing classical music.
I decided to do a quick sketch of the teacher aide, who was seven months pregnant at the time, as the child fell asleep in her arms.
After the quick sketch, I decided to write or "vent" the frustrations of being an aide in general. While we were lucky to have such amazing and fare head teacher, not all were the same.
This sketch is a tribute to all the aides in a classroom settings who are honorable, caring and trustworthy.
