E-S-P? What's that? Extrasensory perception? Not at this blog. Most people have no idea that ESPs are a type of educator. Even some ESPs don't know they are education support professionals. "I'm a what?" -- a bus driver once said to me.

Technically, "ESP" is a term used by NEA to categorize non-teaching K-12 members. They are organized into nine job categories, with a 10th that consists of higher ed ESPs who do more or less the same work as their K-12 brethren.

At about 9 p.m. today, NEA will present its 2008 Education Support Professional Award at the NEA ESP National Conference in Baltimore. 

One ESP out of NEA's 483,000 ESP members (almost all are eligible to be nominated for the award) will receive $10,000 and an expense-paid trip to next year's ESP conference. The Gardner Rich Foundation of Chicago presents the award.

The recipient also gets the opportunity to travel the country as a goodwill ambassador making presentations about the work of ESPs. This July, the ESP of the Year will address about 9,000 delegates at NEA's Representative Assembly in Washington, D.C.

Whoever is named tonight will be challenged to educate audiences about what's behind the acronym. He or she should be prepared for some blank looks: "You're a what?"


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