Adri Trace, a high school teacher at the Knox Learning Center, will expand her responsibilities this year by serving as an employment relationship specialist for the Knox Educational Service Center (ESC). In this new role, she will work with nearly 200 classroom aides across Knox County schools.
“Making connections, building relationships; that’s where it starts,” Trace said. “And classroom aides make an invaluable contribution to helping build and nurture relationships with students.”
Trace has spent 15 years in education and currently leads a class at the K-12 alternative school operated by the ESC. She described how aides often support teachers but can sometimes feel overlooked in their contributions. “Aides work at the direction of teachers – and teachers throughout the county do a fantastic job – but sometimes aides can feel frustrated. Sometimes they don’t feel a sense of contributing, making a difference. I know; I’ve been there,” Trace said.
She added, “When they need to express their concerns outside of their immediate environment, I will listen and try to help resolve whatever is on their minds. We will work it out together. And whether they are new or experienced, we will always emphasize the importance of making connections with kids.”
Dr. Timm Mackley, ESC Superintendent, requested Trace take on this official role after she worked informally with Mount Vernon City Schools’ aides last year. “Adri has unique skills in understanding the role of classroom aides and the concerns and frustrations that aides sometimes feel,” Mackley said. “She was successful in working with Mount Vernon aides last year. We are pleased this year to expand her interaction with aides throughout the county.”
Classroom aides assist teachers by implementing lesson plans, managing classroom behavior, preparing materials for lessons, supporting special needs students with personal care needs, and ensuring student safety both in classrooms and on school grounds.
“What Dr. Mackley wants aides to know is that we appreciate what they do,” Trace said. “I will say again that teachers throughout the county do a phenomenal job but aides are the secret heroes the public often doesn’t see or fully appreciate.”
In her own classroom at Knox Learning Center, Trace emphasizes daily communication through a morning session called “campfire” with her students and adult aides Bob Wihl and Shari Moore. “We sit around a table and talk about what the day will be like,” she said. “We go over the schedule and give the kids an opportunity to talk about whatever is on their minds.”
Trace plans to spend two days each week meeting with aides across Knox County while relying on her classroom team during her absence: “Our two wonderful aides, Bob and Shari, interact effectively with the kids. We won’t miss a beat,” she said.
To become an aide through ESC, applicants must have at least a high school diploma and undergo vetting including fingerprinting and criminal background checks before receiving an educational aide permit from the Ohio Department of Education. Hourly rates for hired aides are reimbursed to ESC by individual districts.
