Teaching Assistant Nerline Desjardins has been working with students with intellectual disabilities, autism, and significant behavioral challenges at The Guild for more than two decades. She worked as a residential assistant for 10 years before transitioning to a teaching assistant 11 years ago.
“I am passionate about creating an environment where every person is valued, respected, and given the opportunity to thrive, no matter their challenges,” says Nerline. What motivates her is the opportunity to empower individuals, strengthen families, and contribute to the community every day.
Colleagues say Nerline is intuitive, establishes positive rapport with her students, and is attuned to the needs of others. By consistently applying motivational strategies to her work with students and cheering them on, Nerline provides an increased level of reinforcement to students in both academic pursuits and daily-living skills.
Teacher Manager Jill LeBlanc described a recurring situation where a student in Nerline’s classroom would suddenly lie down on the floor and stop following staff instructions and requests.
“Nerline is able to swoop in, strategize based on observation of the student, and motivate the student to complete targeted tasks, cheering her on all the while. She has demonstrated this skill across the school and residential programs. Even better, she works diligently to assist other staff members to do the same.”
Working in human services allows Nerline to combine her strongest skills: empathy, patience, and advocacy. While these traits help her excel at her job, they add what she describes as an “emotional weight” outside of the classroom.
“At times, there can be misunderstandings or lack of awareness from the broader community, requiring advocacy and education to ensure children with disabilities are seen, valued, and supported.” She emphasizes the importance of incorporating compassion and a self-care practices to help prevent burn out and maintain her passion for the work.
In this field, Nerline believes it is important to build strong, trusting relationships with the students and be a consistent and reliable source of encouragement for them. She says some of the greatest milestones in her career have been seeing the growth of students she has supported. “These victories, no matter how small they may seem to others, are monumental in this field and reaffirm why the work matters.”