Jennifer Barrows
2023 Exceptional Service Award Recipient

Teaching Assistant
May Center School for Autism and Developmental Disabilities
Wilmington, Mass.

Jenn is all the things we look for in a great Teaching Assistant. She has worked across two very different classrooms during her first year here. We often float her between those two classes. When she is in one class, the teacher and staff in the other will always check in and ask when they get to have her back. I attribute this to a few factors:

First and foremost, Jenn is responsible and reliable. She will be where she is supposed to be when she is supposed to be there. She will take over responsibilities for staff who are out without being asked. Jenn is also very helpful with new staff members who are learning policies and procedures, educational programming, and behavioral interventions.

Second, Jenn is a pleasure to work with and to supervise. She manages to keep things light and fun and to make people laugh even when times are stressful. She keeps a cool head during a crisis.

Jenn is very conscientious in continuing her own training with respect to education and behavior analysis. Following our annual training in behavior support procedures, she asked for more resources to read or listen to about the practice of ABA. She asks great questions and has excellent insights into her students’ behaviors.

Which brings us to the final factor: Jenn is absolutely great with the students. She treats them like they are “just people.” Some are smaller, younger people (i.e., children). Others are somewhat bigger or older people (i.e., teenagers and young adults). Either way, they are fellow humans with their own thoughts, feelings, and needs and should be treated with respect and care.

Jenn does this with ease while still holding students accountable and having high expectations for what they can do. I would clone her if I could!

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