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DENINU KU'E/FORT RESOLUTION
Brandie Miersch has many roles in her community, but she says helping students realize their potential in the classroom is the most rewarding.

In addition to serving as a councillor for the hamlet of Fort Resolution and as the Fort Resolution trustee for the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority, Miersch is a special needs assistant at Deninu School.

She said for her, working with kids to help them achieve their individual goals is what the job is all about.

"As the years go by, you see the progression of the child, you see developmental skills grow," she said. "You see his behaviour grow in a positive way."

Miersch said one-on-one attention is key. That means greeting the student at the school's front door every morning and sending him or her off at the end of the day.

"I don't leave the child's side right until the day is done," she said.

Miersch said as a result of time spent with individual children, she has learned how to read her students and can anticipate what they may need throughout a typical school day.

"It's come to a point now where the first thing in the morning when I see them, I kind of have an idea of which way our day is going to go," she said.

Miersch said by recognizing the child's mood and behaviour at the beginning of the day, she can then plan ways to mitigate possible difficulties the child might be facing. Sometimes that means doing activities outside the classroom for a few hours.

"You learn very quickly when it's too much," she said.

Ultimately, the aim is to help students requiring additional help to learn and interact with fellow students in a classroom setting.

"The main thing is to keep a child with peers," she said. "That's our main goal."

Miersch said the objective is to assist students until they reach the point where they no longer need her help.

"Eventually these kids are going to be able to sit in the classroom all alone and not have somebody with them," she said.

The benefits of one-on-one help at school can translate into better performance both at school and at home, Miersch added.

"If I can help that child be a better person in society, be a better student in the classroom, then I've done my job," she said. "That's something I hold very dear to me, the accomplishment you see when the child moves on."

Miersch worked at the school as a classroom assistant before being hired as a special needs assistant five years ago, she said.

She said for others thinking of a career as a special needs assistant, there is one thing to keep in mind - be adaptable.

"Don't take everything so seriously, you need to be very open because your day changes so quickly," she said. "Every day is never the same."

Miersch was recognized for her work as a member of the Deninu School team in 2012 and received a Northwest Territories Premier's Award.

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