Employee Testimonials - Paraeducator

Samantha

Sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince. Samantha Cannon worked in several fields before finding her “prince” of a job as a paraeducator working with children with special needs.

Formerly a cosmetologist, Samantha has been working at Heartspring for three years. Since starting at Heartspring she has been promoted to a position of leadership and responsibility as the Lead Para in her classroom. “The interest in mental health is what brought me to Heartspring,” Samantha says. “I had worked at a maximum security mental health facility and as a para for a public school district, as well as a cosmetologist and an administrative assistant in a dental office.”

Samantha says she looks forward to seeing the students become more independent.

“Having the opportunity to work with kids with special needs and watch them succeed in life (is what Heartspring means to me),” she says.

Some of her favorite aspects of the job include "seeing the students achieve goals that were a challenge and interacting with students and faculty. Also dealing with everyday challenges and learning from it.”

As Samantha knows, experience working in this field can be helpful, but the true requirements for a paraeducator are a heart for our kids and a willingness to grow and learn.

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