By Lori Ehde"This job I have... It isn’t just a job. It’s a breath of life I treasure."Those were among the final words of Glenda Schneekloth’s acceptance speech last weekend when she was named Minnesota’s Paraprofessional of the Year.Schneekloth has been a paraprofessional, formerly known as a teacher’s aide, in Luverne schools for more than 15 years. She now works primarily with special needs students in the middle school and high school setting, but she worked with some students, including 2001 grad Andrew Dooyema, from preschool to their senior year."I have always believed Glenda was a big reason for his success," Andrew’s mother, Pam Dooyema, wrote in her letter nominating Schneekloth for the award.Andrew, who was born with Down’s Syndrome, was mainstreamed into high school classes and attended a year of college. He is now employed at Luverne Community Hospital and will move into his own place soon."Andrew was more than a job to her," Dooyema wrote. "She truly cared about him and treated him like one of her own children. … She was a blessing from God. But what makes Glenda so special and rare is that she treats all the children she works with this same way."Several other special needs students wrote their own nominating letters, all noting Schneekloth’s willingness to spend extra time with them.Luverne’s Carol Svingen, who works with the special education cooperative in Pipestone, was largely responsible for coordinating Schneekloth’s nomination for the award."Glenda exhibits exemplary work and personal skills," Svingen wrote. "Her professional demeanor and her ability to work with adults and students in the school system make her not only a privilege to work with, but also an asset to the school district."As a teacher’s aide, Schneekloth said she’s used to working behind the scenes and in the back of classrooms. In that sense, she said, it’s difficult to be the center of so much attention."I have so much respect for teachers, so to find myself in this position …" Tears welled up in her eyes when asked why she thinks she earned the award."It’s probably because I was in a lot of teachers’ classrooms where I learned to do it right," Schneekloth said. "I had a lot of positive role models. I always thought of them as the presenters, and I was the reinforcer."She added that she works with and depends on other paras in a team effort toward the same goals.Not surprisingly, teachers and fellow paras wrote about how much they’ve learned from Schneekloth."… maybe the most important thing I’ve learned from her is the importance of listening," wrote special education teacher Lucinda Rofshus."Listen to staff, listen to kids and listen with your heart. Hear what the kids are saying. Take time to enjoy the little things in life — the small accomplishments that most people take for granted. … There is no one I would trust more with a child — to educate them, to love them and to teach them about life."High School Principal Gary Fisher said the students are the real winners under Schneekloth’s guidance."She is a soft-spoken woman who encourages students to reach their potential," Fisher wrote in his nominating letter."I feel that many of her students reach those levels because she shows she believes in them and cares for them. For many special needs students, all it takes is for someone to care and believe in them. Glenda sees the good in all students and makes sure they know it."These observations are the core of what Schneekloth said she tries to do every day when she comes to school."I make sure I greet them by name, and through the day I try to catch a smile," she said."Students need to know that I respect them and that I care. I want them to feel value in themselves. That’s every human’s need to find value in themselves."Schneekloth accepted her state award at a conference in Hutchinson April 25 and 26.The Minnesota Paraprofessional Consortium awards its annual honor based on nominating letters.It asks for information that would demonstrate how well the candidate communicates, takes initiative, contributes to the school environment and makes a difference in lives of students.According to Svingen, once she got the process started, "It was a very easy project. … She’s so deserving."The community is invited to a local reception for Schneekloth from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 14, in the middle school-high school library. A short program will be at 3:30.
