Paraprofessional of the Year tops career off in style

Transition Learning Center special education aide Sulema Jaquez capped off her career right winning the Paraprofessional of the Year award from Ector County ISD.

Jaquez has been with ECISD for 21 years and retired this year.

Micah Pettigrew, Special Education Autism/Homebound/18+ Supervisor, said Jaquez should have gotten the recognition years ago.

She started in January 2002.

“She is an amazing (paraprofessional), just constantly doing what’s best for students, doing what’s best for staff, doing what’s best for the overall program, making sure that students got served in the way they should have been,” Pettigrew said.

Jaquez started subbing and then started working for Pettigrew.

“She asked me if I wanted to work full time and I said yes and I’ve been here ever since,” Jaquez said.

Pettigrew said they have been in classrooms for eight hours a day for all those years and never had an argument or disagreement.

“Because I respect her and she respects me. We respect each other’s position. She’s just amazing,” Pettigrew said.

Jaquez said she decided to retire because she feels the work in her body.

“I’m going to be 70 in October. I’m thinking I need to sit back,” Jaquez said.

The kids are what she likes best about her job and they are what she will miss.

“I have a special needs brother. I’m his guardian,” Jaquez said.

She never thought she would win something like Paraprofessional of the Year. Jaquez and everyone at Transition Learning Center were told they were going to have some visitors and needed to be on their best behavior.

“I was in my room and I heard all kinds of noises like somebody with nails or something. I looked down and she was talking to (Superintendent) Dr. (Scott) Muri and they stopped right in front of my door and I said whoa what is this?” They all came in to surprise her. “I never thought I was going to get something like that,” Jaquez said.

Pettigrew said she tried to get Jaquez to become a teacher.

“I tried and tried,” Pettigrew said. “She’s so intelligent; so smart. I told her over and over again please go back to school and become a teacher.”

Jaquez said she likes to help out and doesn’t want to be the one in charge.

Pettigrew said it’s very important to have someone like Jaquez on staff because she knows she can count on her.

“The only time she ever has missed in all these years was when she absolutely had to. I know I can count on her and that’s a huge thing because with the type of students we have we’ve got to make sure that staff members are here and in place and where they’re supposed to be at all times, or things can happen,” Pettigrew said.

Jaquez keeps things organized so everyone knows where things are.

In her retirement, Jaquez said she’d like to do yard work, but she is also going to sub.

“I love yard work. I would do that more, but my son is living behind me and he’s not letting me do yard work. … I like to take out weeds. I like to have a clean yard,” so when her son goes to work, Jaquez said she’ll go out and work in the yard.

Jaquez and her husband Hipolito have three children and four grandchildren.