Beth Mazzola
What do you like best about working as a special education aide?
“I like meeting a diverse group of students, I work in inclusion classrooms so I get to meet some of the students outside of the students that I support. I love making connections with students, it’s the part I enjoy the most while working. I love going into new classes and meeting new students.”
What do you do over the course of a day as an aide?
“For periods 1-7 I am in different classes throughout the building; I run on a schedule just like a typical student does. I end up supporting kids in history, chemistry, physics, math and sometimes cooking lessons, a lot of them at the fundamental levels in smaller group classes. In classes, I end up walking around the room, assisting with instruction, or if it’s a lecture, to listen and take notes if it is something I need to learn about or understand. Also in my downtime, whether it be lunchtime or when I’m at home, I check the Canvas of all the kids I’m assigned to and make sure they are on track and are handing things in on time. I like to remind students in the hallway that I have seen that they haven’t turned in their work.”
What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your job this year?
“One of the challenges that I face, for the last couple of years, is being in all different classes. One period is chemistry, the next is math so a challenge has been switching my brain from one subject to another because when I started out in the district 15 years ago, I worked at Woodward School and was basically within the context of one classroom. In the classes now, I’m working with students with different needs, different levels of academic and emotional needs, so I think the hardest part is trying to keep up with the different levels and even the classwork. In order for me to answer questions, I have to read the textbooks and listen to lectures because I don’t know all of the information off the top of my head because I took these classes such a long time ago. I do reading at home, practice problems and I do have to pay attention in class.”
What do you think about working at ARHS?
“I love it. I worked at the preschool, elementary, middle and now high school. I really like the high school age group. I don’t know if I would’ve liked it when I first started because I was younger and my kids were younger. Now my kids are 26, 28 and 31 so I have experienced the high school age whereas I think if I started in high school, it would have been more challenging than it is now. Now I have gone through my own kids, know what they did, they all went to Algonquin, so I am more prepared.”
What do you like to do in your free time?
“I like to go thrifting. I’ve seen quite a few kids from Algonquin at Savers in Marlborough. I also love to spend time with my family. I think bc of covid, doing a typical old-fashioned Sunday dinner a lot which has been nice. I also like to walk, and recently I’ve taken up snowshoeing and kayaking, I wanted to do more outdoor activities besides just walking.”
What would your students be surprised to learn about you?
“That maybe I was a select chorus singer in high school. I attended some of the All States and Districts singing programs and concerts. Now I am not good a good singer; I feel like I’ve ruined my voice yelling at sporting events.”