Today, we celebrate our Education Support Professionals! Part of the observance of American Education Week,
It’s a celebration in honor of ESPs who keep schools running and students safe, healthy and ready to learn. ESPs not only work to serve students in public schools, they are dedicated to both their jobs and their communities. ESP comprise more than 40 percent of the total K-12 education workforce.
Hear a message from our NEA president Lily Eskelsen García
What If ?
Let’s suppose just for a moment, what if there weren’t any ESP
What would become of our schools and where would education be
If not for the dedication of each Education Support Professional
How could our schools ever survive or even function at all
For the bus driver wouldn’t be there to pick up children along the way
The doors wouldn’t be unlocked, the lights on, or the buildings heated each day
The aides wouldn’t be there to help those children with a special need
Or the cooks wouldn’t have a hot and tasty meal ready for all to feed
School security wouldn’t be there to watch over the children with care
Each child’s records wouldn’t be the secretary’s load to bear
The computers would crash without the technician to keep them up to date
And not for the maintenance personnel, one can only guess the school’s fate
And there are many more that give so much, each in a different capacity
For to each ESP, education is far more than just another job or utility
Education is each child’s future, the hope and prayers of our nation
For that future, each day, ESP give their work, love, and dedication
Dave Arnold
#AEW2015
