Third-graders at William Rainey Harper school on Cleveland’s West Side have their eyes front and center on teacher Robin Wilson, as she asks them to count how many pages are in a book during a summer school session.
But she’s not the only educator in the room. Teacher aide Cherylane Jones-Williams moves quietly from desk to desk, helping individual students who are falling behind and making sure they’re staying on task.
Jones-Williams, the head of the paraprofessional chapter of the Cleveland Teachers Union, has worked at CMSD for more than 50 years in classrooms with students with disabilities. Her desire to work with those students started when she saw the way her cousin with disabilities was excluded from participation in most aspects of society when she was young.
“The special kids were always so happy, they were glad to see you,” she explained. “And you really wanted to take care of them.”…