In My Own Words is an Indy Reads series where students tell their stories using their own authentic voice and words.
Skyler S. joined Indy Reads’ Paraprofessional cohort in March 2025 to earn her Paraprofessional Certification. An Instructional Assistant at Paramount Schools of Excellence: Englewood, mom of two, “Artist Without Borders”, and so much more, Skyler earned her Paraprofessional Certification in June 2025! Hear from Skyler in her own words below.
In My Own Words | Skyler S.
Where are you from?
“I am an Indianapolis native – a true Hoosier hometown girl. I am from a very large, closely knit family. My parents valued education and fostered my love for reading from an early age. We became a family of eight when three of my cousins came to live with us.
As the youngest child, everyone read with me and to me. In first grade, I wound up winning the ‘I Love to Read’ contest, because I had logged so many hours reading! The prize was a ChildCraft Encyclopedia set that I still own today.”
How did you first find Indy Reads?
“This is a full-circle thing. No one anticipates having an issue with literacy once someone can already read. I stumbled into teaching at the age of 11 after my mom, Aretha, had a stroke and brain aneurysm. While my Mom was in a coma, we were told that if she survived she would probably be in a vegetative state. My Mom defied the odds. The doctors quickly realized that her language and speech centers had been impacted. She could only recall memories through the age of 19. Her marriage, her career, her children, even her own reflection were foreign. She was confused as to how she had become an old woman. The brain works in all kinds of wonderful, yet mysterious ways.
In order to help my Mom make certain connections and to read again, we needed help. We reached out to the Greater Indianapolis Literacy League in 1997 to help us with re-teaching my mother to read. (That’s what Indy Reads was called before it was Indy Reads!) Someone with you guys recommended that I record myself reading to her so that she could connect vocabulary with my voice by listening while I was at school. That was my introduction to Indy Reads and how I first became a teacher. Helping my mom rehab in that way strengthened our bond, helped her memory, and helped me appreciate the power of language and people.”
“First, I was hired as a parapro, as an Instructional Assistant focusing on math at Paramount Schools of Excellence: Englewood. I did not know if I needed any sort of certification, but there was no mandatory training. I was used to mentoring and tutoring one-on-one. Within a classroom setting, I’d only ever been a student.”
What brought you to the Paraprofessional certification program?
“First, I was hired as a parapro, as an Instructional Assistant focusing on math at Paramount Schools of Excellence: Englewood. I did not know if I needed any sort of certification, but there was no mandatory training. I was used to mentoring and tutoring one-on-one. Within a classroom setting, I’d only ever been a student.
I felt woefully unprepared with all of the acronyms being thrown and the standards of practice. I did the best I could. I did the helping part well, but I wanted to know the best way to do the technical parts of my job. The principal at my school sent the link to Indy Reads’ Paraprofessional class to me. And then I met with Chris, your Student Services Manager, to enroll.”
What was your experience in Indy Reads’ program like?
“It was so wonderful. Every single week when something new was released for us to work on, I thought, ‘This came right on time.’ As I am in the classroom, the anchor charts, the vocabulary, any links, it was all immediately useful.
I’m neurospicy, so I’m always reverse-engineering a problem to anticipate misconceptions and potential resolutions for students. Being in the Paraprofessional cohort afforded me the opportunity to be a student within my own field. Every week, the Paraprofessional course gave me tools to learn from my own mistakes and provided solutions that I could implement within the classroom.”
Can you tell us about your experience with the instructor?
“I can give you an example. I was overwhelmed with acronyms and when I said something to Andrea (Indy Reads teacher) about it, she said, ‘I understand! There is a ton of teacher jargon.’ She was able to help me connect things like, ‘Social Emotional Learning’ to the jargon, ‘SEL’. Our weekly video chats as a cohort were a great way to share our experiences, get feedback, and gain perspective from Andrea who is an experienced educator.”
What brought you to teaching professionally?
“I was a stay-at-home mom from September 2011 until I got this job last year. I have a 14-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter. That means that I was everywhere, all at once, all at the same time. I was a Girl Scout Troop leader; I have a construction background; I am an “Artist Without Borders; I’ve made jewelry; I design clothes; I did catering and custom cake design. So, I have all these different types of skills and the confidence to use them. I also know when it’s time to call a professional.”
Do you consider yourself a reader?
“I have always had a love for reading, but at some point there was a chunk of time where my brain could not allow me to focus long enough to get through a book. I used to digest books. I would sit and spend a whole Saturday afternoon reading cover-to-cover. And then it changed. That’s how audiobooks came in. So now I leave a chunk of time for myself each day to listen to an audiobook or read just a little bit. Right now, I’m reading The Way They Learn by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias and The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I usually read a bunch of things at the same time.”
Do you have any advice for people who are considering a Paraprofessional certification with Indy Reads?
“Number one: definitely do it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. It is a wonderful and valuable resource. You’ll be in a cohort of people who are like-minded, even if they are engaged in different kinds of education fields.
There was a gentleman in my class who works with AYS (At Your School, Inc.) who was previewing the progra to see if he would recommend it to his subordinates. There were people who had been educators for years who just wanted to sharpen their skills. And then there was me, newbie, who is boots-on-the-ground and ready to go.
I didn’t want to shell out thousands and thousands of dollars for traditional school before I tried it out. I had to make time for myself to do this program. And you should, too! I did and it allowed me the space and access to resources to help other people, which is the whole point.”