Ms. Karin Sanborn works as a paraprofessional at Abington High School. She started at Abington High in February of 2020 as a paraprofessional, a little before school shut down due to COVID.

What does a paraprofessional do? “The most important thing about my job at Abington High School is to help all students” Sanborn said.

Being a paraprofessional requires a person with a great mindset. They are very busy, so having an upbeat personality is key.  “A really important piece of my role is to be flexible.”

Paraprofessionals go where students need the most help. “I help students in Chemistry, Environmental Science , Earth Science , Spanish Two, and American Literature,” Sanborn said.

Not only does Ms. Sanborn assist in five different subjects, she said, “I have students in every grade, meaning freshman through seniors. I love getting to meet so many different students.”

Prior to working as a paraprofessional, Sanborn “worked as a teacher in after school in community outreach and to college students,” she said.

Sanborn holds a couple of degrees. “I earned an undergraduate double-major in fine arts and biology. I also earned a master’s degree in visual arts recently,” she said.

Having a sense of adventure and trying new things is important in the role of  a paraprofessional. Sanborn has that. She has lived in several places: Washington State, Alaska, Connecticut, Maryland, England and now in Brockton.

A fun fact about Sanborn is that she used to ride horses. On the day of the interview she was wearing cowboy boots. “My boots remind me of my time with horses riding,” Sanborn said.

“The most exciting place I ever rode a horse was in the mountains in Wyoming, driving cattle. Driving cattle is the process of people on horse back and one herding dog trying to keep more than 200 cattle together to get them to open pastures,” she said.