Debra Wong sat among her special-education students in their classroom at Plant City High School. They had decorated the room for Halloween. Ghosts hung from the ceiling. Paper pumpkins dotted the door.
One pumpkin had the aide’s name inside of it, along with that of teacher Jay Ritenbaugh and fellow aide Jeanette McCloud.
Wong looked at her students and began to tear up.
“The joy of being an aide is knowing that through Christ and these children, we can overcome diversity,” she said. “If a person is in a wheelchair, you never think they can do anything. But look at these kids. They get up everyday and keep trying with a smile on their face.”
There is no lack of diversity in this classroom. Some of the students have autism. Others are in wheelchairs. Many laugh out loud as Ritenbaugh playfully teases one student for drifting off to sleep.
Ritenbaugh couldn’t handle the classroom without his aides. They do everything from assisting students with classwork to helping them with personal-care needs. The shifts are full-time. Some aides help students get off the buses in the morning, escort them to physical fitness, sign-language classes and lunch. The aides even teach classes.
“They are our diamonds in the sky,” Ritenbaugh said. “We couldn’t do it without them. They help the teachers teach and not just assist.”
In fact, the aides had been busy teaching Ritenbaugh’s class for months. The school recently had added a new class. But when the teacher moved to another school before the semester began, the school found Ritenbaugh to substitute.
Ritenbaugh then left for a corporate job. The aides kept the class running under the supervision of another teacher, Sandy Denham. They had no idea that, in just a couple of weeks, Ritenbaugh would return. He couldn’t stay away from his students. Now, he continues to teach them, with the help of his aides.
“That’s a testament to the aides,” Denham said. “They made him feel so welcomed. And for them to teach the class. That wouldn’t have happened in a lot of places. Their heart is in it.”
Wong said is that’s most important qualification for the job.
“One thing about the children is that they know that you really love them, and they will feel that and accept it,” she said. “That’s the main thing — that you love them. It has to come from your heart.”
Wong has served as an aide for 20 years, at Plant City. She got her start working with exceptional students 22 years ago, at McCory’s. When it closed, Wong was given a job at Lopez Exceptional Center, in Seffner.
“I fell in love with it, but it had its challenges,” Wong said.
Sound advice from the assistant principal at the time has remained in her head throughout her career. The administrator told her she couldn’t have sympathy for her students but that she had to push them so they could learn, grow their motor skills and gain their independence.
Over the years, Wong has discovered all the tricks to being an aide.
“You can’t be primpy or prissy,” Wong said. “You’re going to get drool on you when they hug you. And they are so loving.”
She also has learned that teamwork is important to the success of the department. For the 54 students in special education, there are 11 aides.
“The ladies I work with are such beautiful people,” Wong said. “We all have heart, and we all have Christ.”
Denham, who has been teaching since 1993, agrees the group works together well.
“This is a particular group of individuals who don’t need a lot of direction,” Denham said. “They are very focused on the students. We just really can’t do our job without our aides.”
Wong has passed down everything she’s learned to her daughter, Oneka Wong. Oneka has been working as an aide at the high school for three years.
“They have made it a family affair,” Ritenbaugh said.
The aides are as diverse as their students. Denese Kitchen has been with the department for 29 years. Two newcomers are still students at Hillsborough Community College. Alejandro Torres just started this week. Luis Ibarra has only been at the school for a year.
“We need more aides that age,” Ritenbaugh said. “The students can identify with him, because he is almost like their peer.”
Wong has seen many aides come and go. Her advice to the newbies echo what her superior said 22 years ago.
“The challenge is knowing when and what to do with each child because each child is different,” Wong said. “You have to have heart.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
Name: Years at PCHS
Denese Kitchen: 29
Debra Wong: 20
Pam Sodders: 15
Sherry Clenny: 15
Sandy Kelly: 7
Stephanie Stoval: 7
Jeanette McCloud: 3
Oneka Wong: 3
Kyle Castagno: 2
Luis Ibarra: 1
Alejandro Torres: <1