“It’s been an overwhelming blessing to come back to my alma mater and have the opportunity to positively impact students like my teachers here did for me,” Goodrich said.

Background

• From Peachtree City, Georgia
• Attended Starr’s Mill High School

Education

• Degree in Elementary Education from Auburn University

Responsibilities

• Offers extra help to students or smaller group settings for assignments
• Aids students in the content mastery lab who need extra help or have computer assignments

Starr’s Mill welcomes new parapro, Claire Goodrich. A native to Peachtree City, Goodrich grew up in the Fayette County school system, attending Braelinn Elementary, Rising Starr Middle and Starr’s Mill. She attended Auburn University where she received her degree in Elementary Education with a minor in French.

She begins her work in the educational field at the Mill. Although her job as a parapro may be a new and daunting task, her work environment is no change in scenery. “My familiarity of the community and staff here at Starr’s Mill made my transition into the work world pretty easy,” she said.

Goodrich’s choice to pursue teaching was less spur-of-the-moment, but more so came from her 18 years prior to heading off to college. “My experience as a student hugely impacted my decision to come back to Starr’s Mill and even more so in my decision to go into the education field,” Goodrich said. Her fond memories of her time at the Mill contributed to her vision of becoming a full-fledged teacher and impacting lives through her work. “I had such a positive experience in school, and I want all of my students to have that opportunity,” she said.

Finding the perfect job isn’t always an easy task. Goodrich put her goal of being a full-time teacher on the backburner as other opportunities opened its doors. “I became a parapro mostly due to availability of jobs in the area,” she said.

With her husband, Elijah Goodrich, already teaching at Fayette County and she a first-year teacher, the open position at Starr’s Mill was a job she couldn’t refuse. “I was really excited when the opportunity at SMHS opened up because the hours are great, the workload is very manageable,  I love the people I work with, both the students and staff and I knew it would be a job I would enjoy,” she said.

Goodrich said she would readily jump at the opportunity to procure a job at the Mill, however she would ultimately love to get a job teaching elementary school because, “I had a blast getting my degree and doing student teaching in college.”

Goodrich’s experience as a parapro is only the beginning of her journey down the path of educating. “I can’t believe a job exists in which they would pay me to become a little kid again. It’s so much fun!”