Every year is a great year to celebrate our staff, but this year has shined a bright light on the flexibility and compassion of our incredible staff.

Today, meet Ruth Clark, a behavior interventionist at Benjamin Franklin Elementary.

What motivates you?

I am motivated by seeing our students coming to school and every morning during breakfast wanting to share stories about something that has excited them either the night before or from over the weekend. Knowing that I have helped a student turn that negative into a positive, or turn their frown into a smile (underneath the mask you can see their eyes) lets me know that I must continue to encourage and teach the social and emotional skills to them, along with teaching them how important it is in making good choices for themselves.

How has your job changed due to COVID?

COVID changed my job during remote learning because I could not make physical contact with my groups or individual students. I was able to sit in on some of the Google Meets and Zoom classes. During remote learning, I just stepped in where help was needed in all areas of our school, including delivering lunches to the neighboring agencies, where our students attended for their after school care programs.

What is something that people don’t understand about your job?

Being a Behavior Interventionist has its challenges, and at times being an investigator (F.B.I. lol). I don’t think everyone understands the complete picture of our position because it does take on many roles to ensure that any negative situation can be reflected upon and redirected into positive results. I always tell our students that “mistakes are made, but it is up to you to learn from them.”

Why do you love VCSC/your school?

It is a blessing to be working at Benjamin Franklin, because we are like one big family! We all learn from each other and want the best for our students. Each day we strive to be role models and hope they will remember at least one important thing learned that they can carry with them for the rest of their life. #FalconPride

Be sure to check back on Wednesday as we highlight another teacher for #RedforEd Wednesday! We’ll continue both campaigns through the end of the school year.