Paraeducators and Education Support Professionals Appreciation 

In the Ann Arbor Public Schools, today and every day, we proudly recognize our AAPS paraeducators and education support professionals for the critical services and support they provide our students and teachers every day. 

American Education Week is held each year the week before Thanksgiving, and the Wednesday of this week is designated by the National Education Association (NEA) as Education Support Professionals (ESP) Day. 

Paraeducators and educational support team members hold a very special place in the hearts of everyone in our school communities. These professionals serve on the frontline every day in connecting, nurturing and supporting our students across our classrooms and schools. 

Ask any student about their day, and they will likely have a story to share about the paraeducator who provides them with support and space to learn and grow every day, the bus driver who gets them to and from school safely, the secretary or community assistant who greets them every morning with a smile or the cafeteria worker who serves healthy meals at lunch. 

In particular, paraeducators perform a variety of teacher-related jobs and often assist teachers in classrooms, working with students on supplemental enrichment activities in small groups or one-on-one. Paraeducators often work with students with special education needs and may work in self-contained classrooms, resource rooms or serve as inclusion assistants who accompany individual students throughout their day. As integral members of the Special Education and AAPS teams, the work of paraeducators is vital to the students they serve.  

These education support professionals are often the unsung heroes in a child’s day. In fulfilling their roles, they support our students and the entire school team and are valued and esteemed members of Team AAPS. 

On this Educational Support Professionals Day, we’re coming together across the Ann Arbor Public Schools to share our gratitude and celebrate these amazing people who are the connectors who complete our excellent school teams.

Thank you, AAPS paraeducators and educational support professionals!

Jeanice Kerr Swift
Superintendent of Schools
Ann Arbor Public Schools