Esther Bibas

Esther Bibas grew up attending a small high school in Buffalo. She later moved to Boston to pursue a career as a paraprofessional in the school environment. She previously worked at the Curley School in Boston and is now working as a paraprofessional at Brookline High School. She is excited to pursue this career and continue to expand her horizons.

Why did you choose to come to BHS? What did you do before you came to school?

I was working at Boston Public Schools at the Curley School. I was working in special education there. I wanted to come to BHS to work with older students and a transition setting.

Tell me about your past school experience, and how did that differ from BHS?

I grew up in Buffalo, New York. I went to a school called Nichols High School. And, yeah, it was a small school. So there were only about 100 Kids in my grade. I really like the culture of BHS, the culture of the students, and the staff all working together. I think that’s nice. I feel like that was different at the other schools.

What drove you to become a professional? What is it like working as a paragon professional?

I really like it. I like getting the experience of working with a lot of different students. Sometimes I work in the transition program, and sometimes I work in Rising classrooms, so it’s nice that I can float around at school and get to know different students.

I know you’re a new teacher here so you probably haven’t had a lot of experience at BHS but what would you say you like about the school so far?

So far, I really like how all the staff is very supportive, friendly, and welcoming. They helped me to learn a lot about the culture of the school, the students, and how to best work with the students.

What exactly does a paraprofessional do?

I work as a paraprofessional in the transitions program. I support the teachers and just add extra support to the students, and support in the classroom whenever they need it. In the transition program, I go with students to college courses that they’re taking, support them, and sometimes we go to different job sites with them. So I did a lot of vocational work.

What would you say would be long-term goals for your job or even just goals for the end of the year?

I think my long-term- goals would be to support the students the best that I can, connect with the students, and be there to give support and do whatever I can to help.

When you’re not teaching or doing other things, what do you enjoy doing?

I enjoy being outdoors a lot. I like going to the park and going on hikes sometimes. I also like art a lot. I like to draw sometimes too.