Fauquier High School (FHS) currently has 13 Instructional Assistants (IA). An IA is a person present in the classroom environment who provides support to the teacher and manages students by assisting with daily learning activities.
Gwendolyn Gaines is an IA at FHS that primarily assists students whose first language is not English. She has been at FHS for 10 years, and before her arrival at FHS, she spent 19 years at P.B. Smith Elementary School as a fifth-grade teacher. It was there that she first came into contact with the English Language Learner program or ELL. She did important work in establishing that program in Fauquier County Public Schools (FCPS). In her own words, “My job is to make sure that language is not a barrier in the classroom.” But assisting students isn’t always the easiest job, “I’ve learned that you have to have patience, not just with the students, but with the adults,” Gaines stated. She has also learned that communication is key in the classroom environment and that being a good listener goes a long way.
Another IA at FHS is Maressa Gager. Gager primarily resides in math and science classes. This is her third year at FHS and her first job in an educational environment. She provides one-on-one help to students and helps give a different perspective on a topic. She has learned from being an IA that “everybody learns in different ways, and it’s about finding how to help them learn in their own way and understand the topic.” She stated her favorite part of the job is working with students and that shows with the enthusiasm she brings every day to work.
IAs are an integral part of the educational environment at FHS who bring support to both students and teachers and happily provide the one-on-one attention some students require.
