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2000 Minnesota Paraprofessional/Teacher Team of the Year:

Joanie Wiken and Karen Lydon

Reprinted courtesy of Sun Newspapers. "Teaching Tandem Recognized as Special Educators: Lydon and Wiken honored for work with developmentally disabled students," by Michael Werner, Richfield Sun, Current/Wednesday, June 7, 2000

Richfield High School sophomore Aarom Baumbach enjoys the stage, and acts in the school musicals and plays. But Baumbach, who has Down's Syndrome, needed his mother Ann to help him through rehearsals freshman year. But over the course of a year, Aaron has matured. For this spring's musical, the only assistance he needed was to be driven home after rehearsal.

Ann Baumbach credits special education teacher Karen Lydon and her paraprofessional assistant Joanie Wiken for helping him become more independent. For the past year, Aaron has been enrolled in Lydon and Wiken's Compass program, which teaches life skills to students with moderate to severe developmental disabilities.

Aaron's case is just one of many depicting the progress Lydon and Wiken's students have shown. For their exemplary service, the Minnesota Statewide Paraprofessional Consortium last month honored Lydon and Wiken as the Paraprofessional/Teacher Team of the Year. This is the first time a paraprofessional and teacher team has been recognized. For the past 10 years the organization has only recognized a paraprofessional of the year.

Additionally, Wiken and Lydon were awarded the Richfield Board of Education's Golden Apple Award last month for outstanding service to the Richfield schools.

"I still can hardly believe it, it's wonderful," Wilken said. "But the students deserve this honor just as much because it is through their special ability to give of themselves to me that I am here today. I really love these kids. They mean a lot to me."

Lezlie Ingvalson, the district's special education coordinator, praised Wiken and Lydon for their caring and commitment. "As individuals, they are wonderful educators. As a team, they are an outstanding example of the staff we have in the Richfield School District," said Ingvalson, who nominated the pair for the paraprofessional award. "Upon walking into their classroom, one can immediately see that learning is occurring. It is also obvious that the students are having fun with, and care for and respect their teachers."

Through the Compass program, Lydon and Wiken use concrete examples to teach their students simple skills like cooking, cleaning and operating a can opener.

To further their sense of independence, Lydon and Wiken take students on numerous field trips during the course of the year. On one such excursion, students were taken to a local department store, given a list of items and required to track them down in scavenger-hunt fashion. On another occasion, students were taken to the Mall of America to request job applications from various stores.

"Because students with developmental disabilities learn in concrete ways, if you get out into a store, it becomes the classroom," said Lydon, an Edina resident. "I try to base everything they do on whether they will need to know it and use it when they're out in the world," she said. "There are so many things they could learn, but we choose what is most important for them to be independent."

Lydon and Wiken's techniques have produced remarkable results. One student entered the Compass program completely unable to communicate. But with their help, the student can now communicate using pictures.

"I especially cherish the smiles from the accomplishments of the students that cannot speak," Wiken said. "I will carry in my heart forever that smile of accomplishment I have seen in our students."

Much of the students' success can be linked to the nurturing atmosphere Lydon and Wiken create. "It's a balance between being very firm and very consistent, but sending the message that `I care about you,'" Lydon said.

Within a month of beginning the program, Ann noticed a change in her son. "He was maturing," she said. "He's growing up, and it's really been wonderful." "There is something in the way they work together that is really special," Ann Baumbach beamed, noting that Lydon often calls to tell her of Aaron's daily accomplishments. "They are really terrific."