An Educational Assistant on Peer Relationships

I didn’t find the transition from being an Assistant in L’Arche to being an Educational Assistant in a secondary school as easy as I thought it would be. I went from a world of learning and speaking the language of the heart to a world where logic and higher grades of academic achievement were emphasized. After a few years as an EA and a conversation with my father, who works for the same Board, I shared with the head of Special Education at my school and with a teacher who taught the Leadership course the idea of starting a peer mentoring course similar to one that had a profound impact on my own life. Soon the Leadership students were in the Life Skills classrooms where they and the Life Skills students became mentors for each other. Seeing these relationships in the classrooms develop was beautiful, but seeing the relationships carry over in the hallways and the cafeteria (the rooms without the adults/educators setting up the relationships) was extraordinary! Handshakes, high fives, props, conversations, laughter and smiles–students sharing simple moments of joy. I believe as an educator it is my duty to create a learning environment for students that is safe, supportive, and educational but also an environment where students with differing abilities can share their gifts with one another and grow into understanding adults.

EA, ON