“During the pandemic, everyone saw the work of teachers,” said Christina Salerno of PBS KVIE, who is the series executive producer of Inside California Education. “They were inside of our homes every day, teaching our children remotely. But the work of classified workers remained somewhat invisible, as they worked behind-the-scenes preparing meals to go, sanitizing classrooms, and handing out laptops and materials. We produced this story because we wanted to show the whole picture.” She added that she was “impressed at the creativity of the classified workers, who made sure that students had everything they needed.” For example, library assistant Cat Horan created a drive-through library, which allowed students to pick up new books. “The cool thing about being a librarian is I feel like we’re always adjusting. So, when the pandemic hit, we were already kind of taking a look at how to bring more digital and technological aspects into our library,” Horan says in the video. “By August, I was trying to make digital libraries so that they could click on it and feel the feel of being in a library as much as possible. And I’ve also started doing curbside pickup.” She added: “I feel like the classified staff in the Rowland School District, everything that they’re doing really shows just how important our kiddos’ connection to the school and the people that work there or stop by, how important that connection is.”

"...everything that they’re doing really shows just how important our kiddos’ connection to the school and the people that work there or stop by, how important that connection is."

The bus driver they interviewed, Mayra Aguirre, was happy to lend a hand at whatever task was needed. “I miss my work family and driving,” Aguirre says. She explained that they have been using their buses to transport technology materials like laptops and WiFi hotspots, and she has even helped direct traffic at a drive-through graduation. Instructional assistant Breanna Koehler found a way to use Zoom to continue to support students one-on-one. “In this pandemic, I’ve just mainly been trying to stay positive and show that positivity to my students, that they will make it through all this,” she said. Koehler said she was very “grateful to be featured in the Inside Cal Ed video.” “So often, the work of paraeducators can feel unseen, behind-the-scenes, or blended in with the work of teachers,” she said. “This felt even more so when the COVID-19 pandemic had us performing our duties from home. However, the role we play in our schools is unique to our classification, and I hope I highlighted the special way we make a difference in our students’ lives.”

"In this pandemic, I’ve just mainly been trying to stay positive and show that positivity to my students, that they will make it through all this."

She continued: “I hope viewers took away that despite the dramatic changes our students and communities have endured since the start of the pandemic, the core values of our classification have remained the same throughout: We are here to do anything we possibly can to support our students with their academics, socio-emotional wellbeing, life skills, and anything else they need, even if the classroom is on a computer screen. We will always play a vital role in fostering the learning and growth of our children in our communities.” Salerno explained that over the last four years, Inside California Education has produced more than 100 stories. Every year, they also feature several classified staff members in what they call “Day in the Life.” These are short stories where they follow around a staffer for a day, and explain to viewers what they do. They’ve featured bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians, IT specialists, secretaries and paraeducators. “I view this latest story during the pandemic as an extension of the overall work we do producing stories that tell the broader story about education in California,” Salerno said.