The Working Life Of A Professional Helper

You see them all over school, but you don’t know who they are. They help only one in six students in the school, but are very important. These are professional helpers, and their jobs are to make student’s lives better in school.

Emily Morse is an aide, which is someone who helps students thrive with their academics, and creates comfortable environments in school for those she helps. The instructional assistant made her first appearance about four years ago as an art teacher in Lawrence, but decided to leave to pursue something new. Soon Morse would make her way to Triton, where she had a couple months under her belt last year. From that little work experience, Morse knew Triton was the place for her.

“I instantly knew I wanted to work here,” said Morse. “I could just feel it, as weird as that sounds. Some people just have a really positive vibe coming off of them, and you go, ‘I want to work with those people’… I can tell it’s going to work out because having a staff that you can get along with helps benefit all the students.”

As an aide, Morse’s duty is helping her students feel comfortable at school to the best of her abilities, and she must be adaptable to change.

“This year is very different from last year,” said Morse. “I have more students this year, but the way they do an orientation, they really get the kids excited about being here and helping them build social connections before they dive right into academics. I really feel like that’s a smart way to get kids feeling comfortable, like they’re in a new home and a new community.”

A school can only go so far when it comes to helping students adapt to new environments. That’s when the duty of the teachers comes into play, as they’re the ones responsible for the success of the students. Ms. Ribaudo, the Middle School science teacher on 8-3, commented on Morse’s impact.

“Ms. Morse is a wonderful woman,” said Ribaudo. “She came in here, hit the ground running. You could tell she had some experience in education working with other kids, and just fit right into the position in the first couple days.” Ms. Kearney, the special education teacher at Triton Middle School, who has worked here for 18 years, had similar things to say about Morse

“She’s done great because she’s a certified teacher, and has worked as an I.A for many years. She knows it, she gets it, she knows what to do. I mean, she just came in here, and you know, off and running,” said Kearney.

Morse is a professional helper in the Middle School, and being an aide is very fulfilling to her. With a good environment and student body, Morse would like to stay for a long time.

“I would stay here as long as possible. I really do enjoy it…. Working as an aid I really find it very fulfilling,” said Morse.