MTA member honored with union coalition’s RISE award
MTA member honored with union coalition’s RISE award
Worcester paraeducator Saul Ramos, the National Education Association’s Education Support Professional of the Year, has received a 2017 Recognizing Inspirational School Employees award.
Five award winners from across the nation were honored at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, May 3.
Given by the National Coalition of Classified Education Support Employee Unions, the awards honor those making extraordinary contributions in their schools and communities to promote quality education, foster positive learning environments, and ensure student success.
Ramos is a one-to-one paraeducator and Braillist at Burncoat High School in Worcester. A Worcester Public Schools employee for more than 18 years, Ramos taught himself Braille early in his career so he could help his visually impaired students become more independent.
NEA Vice President Becky Pringle was on hand to present the award. “Saul is an outstanding example of an education support professional who works tirelessly to make great public schools for every student,” she said. “He puts his students first and works to ensure that all of them have what they need to succeed.”
Ramos was named the 2017 NEA ESP of the Year at the NEA Education Support Professionals Conference in Dallas on March 11. The annual award is NEA’s highest for education support professionals.
MTA President Barbara Madeloni nominated Ramos for the national ESP of the Year award.
“I admire Saul and am inspired by his dedication and thoughtfulness,” she said. “He is looked up to as an educational leader for his commitment to his field, as well as his expertise. He is in fact the symbol of just how essential ESPs are to meeting the needs of the whole student.”
The National Coalition of Classified Education Support Employee Unions, a coalition of state and national unions that represent 1 million school support employees, gives the RISE awards annually to highlight the individual contributions of school staff and recognize the essential role that all education professionals play in cultivating students’ natural curiosity and desire to learn.