For More Information:
NEA Communications: 202 822-7200

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2001

News Release

Educational Support Professional of Year Addresses NEA Convention

New Mexico Educational Assistant Tells Crowd to "Make Strengths" of Life Experiences

Los Angeles, Calif - Irma Valdespino, the National Education Association's (NEA) 2001 Educational Support Person of the Year, addressed more than 9,000 teachers and education employees today during the Association's annual Representative Assembly.

Valdespino, who has served in the field of public education for nearly three decades, praised the often underappreciated work of her fellow educational support professionals (ESPs). "Every ESP is essential," she said, "and contributes to the educational process. It takes all of us to make schools the best that they can be." A tireless advocate for improved professional development and increased respect for educational support staff, Valdespino said, "our worth and value must be, and should be, recognized and respected."

In praising her fellow educational support professionals for their contributions to making every public school great, Irma Valdespino said, "ESPs have a vested interest in the children of their communities because they are our children, the neighbor's kids, the kids we see at church or at the mall." Often it is the educational support professional who reaches out first to a child in need, she said, because of their "special rapport."

NEA President Bob Chase calls Ms. Valdespino "an inspiration and role model for all who aspire to excellence as public education professionals." She has also been praised by her colleagues for her commitment to seeing that every child receives a quality education. They note that Irma works diligently to see that her special needs students have the same educational opportunities as all the other students.

The ESP of the year ( an educational assistant in Las Cruces, New Mexico ( credits New Mexico author Rudolfo Anaya with her approach to life: "Take life experiences and make strengths out of them, and not weaknesses." Valdespino, the daughter of an immigrant father, who once feared speaking in her native language on the school playground, has made strengths of those experiences.

Some 327,000 NEA educational support professionals work to provide the "backbone" of America's public schools - driving school buses, tutoring students, serving lunches, running administrative offices, providing technical support, and more. The NEA's Representative Assembly, which began on July 4, wraps up today.

# # #
The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support personnel, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.