Deseray Duncan – JCMS AVID and English Language Development Teacher

Question: What was your reaction when you found out you were nominated for the October Certified Team Spotlight?

Answer: “I was very just humbled by it and appreciative that my team recognizes the work that I put in and it makes me very proud to work for this district.”

Question: How long have you worked for the district?

Answer: “This is my 6th year teaching. It was my very first year right out of college, I got hired right here at JCMS and I’ve been here ever since and I absolutely love it here.”

Question: What is your favorite part about being a teacher?

Answer: “My favorite part about being a teacher is building relationships with the kids and just getting to know them and establishing that trust. :11 So that they feel confident in themselves as learners and students.”

Question: When did you you know you wanted to become a teacher?

Answer: “It wasn’t until my second year of college that I realized I wanted to do education but just exploring some hot topics in education and thinking about got me really thinking about how it was my destiny to go back and help kids who were like me and be successful and have opportunities that I didn’t get when I was their age.”

Question: You teach AVID at JCMS. What is AVID and what do you like about it?

Answer: “AVID is a program that helps students who are close to falling through the cracks or academically in the middle. Generally underrepresented groups of students. Students who will be the first in their families to graduate high school or attend college. It gives them the skills they need to be successful in their classes. Students in the AVID elective remain in the AVID elective all year and the idea is to keep them in it until they graduate. It’s about support and having a support network and having people push you and encourage you to be the best version of yourself. That’s what I get to do as an AVID teacher and its by far, its one of the reasons why I continue to teach. I love it so much.”

Connie Minton – Bridges High School Educational Assistant

Question: What was your reaction when you found out you were nominated for the October Classified Team Spotlight?

Answer: “I’m humbled and blessed that they nominated me, that’s a big deal to me. I’m humbled because I feel that each one of us here would probably be in this same spot as I am right now. We all do a fantastic job and we all care about our kids.”

Question: How long have you worked for the district?

Answer: “I’ve been with the Jefferson County School District probably about nine or ten years. I started in education probably back in 1999 so it’s been a while.”

Question: What made you start working in public education?

Answer: “What brought me to education was that I volunteered a lot where my sons went to school at and I really enjoyed being with kids.”

Question: What is your favorite part about being an educational assistant?

Answer: “My favorite part of working in education and being an EA is probably the relationships I develop with students. You get more involved and more one on one with students.”

Question: What does your day to day look like as an EA?

Answer: “The day to day responsibilities of an EA would be whatever needs to be done, we’re kind of the backbone or the help of what goes on in the schools. Most EAs, they kind of are the ones that do like the every day tasks and supports for teachers.”

Question: What do you like about working for the Jefferson County School District.”

Answer: “The staff here is amazing and just developing those relationships and feeling like you’re a part of a family and really trying to help our students to succeed.”

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