Rickkie Martinmaas has been a paraprofessional at New Underwood School District for three years. She is currently a teacher candidate with the DOE’s Teacher Apprenticeship Pathway (TAP), which is a program that allows her to continue to work as a paraprofessional while she takes classes with NSU to earn her teaching certificate.

What does your typical day look like at your school for you?
I’m going to different classrooms, helping people wherever I can. I’m a special education paraprofessional, so I work with students one on one a lot.

What’s the best part of being a paraprofessional?
The best part is working with all of the different students throughout the school. I can be with an English class in the morning, and I can be in a math class in the afternoon – so wherever they need me.

What’s the most challenging part of being a paraprofessional?
The piece that I don’t like so much – it’s a little hard for paras – is you don’t have control over your day. The teachers are really good about giving directions, and that’s helpful, but you don’t always know what you’re going to be walking into, and to have control of your own space. I was in RCAS [Rapid City Area Schools], and I was in a Level 4 classroom, and all the space was shared. That can be tough. But that’s how you grow your community as well.

Why did you sign up for the Teacher Apprenticeship Pathway?
I started working in schools when my kids started going to school, and I noticed that their school was in dire need of subs. I knew I had the qualifications for that, so I applied at the school, and being within the school system again sparked that curiosity again. I realized that teaching would be a great fit for me. So I started going to school to get my teaching certificate before I knew about the program. There was another para who was in the TAP program, and she was doing well in it, so she recommended it to me. She said that they were doing it again, so I applied, and I got in.

How far are you in the program?
I have a year left. I just started my pre-student teaching portion of the program. I begin my student teaching next semester, and I graduate May 8.

When you get your teaching certificate, what grade do you hope to teach?
I am hoping to be in the secondary realm, anywhere in 6-12 grade. My content area is English, but I also have a business degree, so I will be able to teach that as well.

Do you think you’ll stay in New Underwood?
Yes, that’s my plan. If they have a role for me, I’ll be staying. That’s where my family lives too.

How are the college courses that you’re doing for TAP going?
There are a few of them that are pretty intense. It’s very writing intensive because of my major. But they’ve been really great, informative classes. I’ve learned a lot in them, and they’ve been fantastic.

What’s the most useful advice you have gotten from your mentor?
He always told me to take things slow and just be patient. He’s been really supportive in my schooling. He gives me advice for the big things, but also the tiniest thing. He tells me I’ve got this, that it’ll be okay. It’s pretty cool.

John Oleson is in his 18th year as an educator. He was a 5th grade teacher for 15 years; before that, he spent time as a 2nd grade teacher, and as a teacher for a 4th-5th combined class. This year, he is in a new role at New Underwood School District, where he serves as the dean of students and the assistant principal. He is also serving as Rickkie Martinmaas’ TAP mentor.

What is required of a mentor who is involved with the TAP program?
I think my biggest job as a mentor is just being supportive. I’ve been in education for so many years, and I’ve seen so many changes. My biggest role is just being supportive -- anything I can do to be supportive.

I have a lot to talk about. I have a lot of stories to tell. I am a role model, a mentor -- I’m just being supportive of her.

What’s the best part about being a teacher?
The best part of it is the kids. I enjoy being with the kids. I had a hard life growing up, and my teachers were the one stability for me, and that’s what I take with me, that they were there for me.

I love being with the kids, chatting with them, listening to them. I love being a role model for them.

They brighten my day for me – their smiles, their innocence. It’s just what I enjoy.

What’s the most challenging part?
The behavior issues are always a challenge. I wouldn’t say they’ve gotten worse, but with time, there’s changes, and the changes always bring new things to worry about. Right now, the changes we’re dealing with involve technology that is being introduced. ChatGPT is the big thing I’ve been dealing with this week.

We’ve had to deal with phones, computers, things that didn’t exist when we were in school. It’s funny to talk to parents and grandparents. They’ll tell you “When I was a kid…” But those times were different; now, we handle things differently. You have to go with the times.

I think when I started teaching, fifth graders were more prepared for fifth grade, and I relate that to family life. I still think there was more parent involvement with the school and their children, and we had the support from the parents. Parents are dealing with a lot right now with the economy. There’s a lot of passing time at home, and not a lot of quality time. And we have to make up for that in the schools.

With what you’ve learned over the years, how do you address the changes that you’re seeing?
You have to keep in mind where you want to go, and then consider where you are, and work from there. You have to slow down and ask how you can help them – what you can do to get them there.

It’s one day at a time. I love education because tomorrow is a new day. We come in tomorrow refreshed, and ready to take on the new day. Every day is a restart.

What’s the most useful advice you have ever received in your teaching career?
It’s kind of quirky: Make friends with the secretary and maintenance before anyone else in the school. They’re the key to getting things done.

Besides that, it’s just love the kids. You have to look at each quality of each student and build the relationship. There’s the quote, it’s not what they learned or what you taught them, it’s how you made them feel? It’s a home away from home for them.

If you have that with a student, they’ll work for you, they’ll trust you, you’ve got their confidence.

Is there anything unique about the New Underwood school district?
I think what I enjoy about New Underwood, is it kind of reminds me of when I was in school. You get the small-town feel, you get more of the parents’ involvement. Our school is used for a lot. At five in the morning, people are here for running. Last night as I was leaving, I saw that there were parents who were in there because they were doing a potluck for the football kids and families. We have our problems, but overall, we are a community, and that’s going to take us where we need to go.