Kimberly Lainer Brown

My mom was my first role model. I saw her get up as a single mom every morning. She worked for the Railroad Retirement Board for the government for over 20 years. She always smelled good, she always looked so beautiful. She wore A-line skirts and dresses, and she was just so feminine, and she was so smart. She was a great relationship builder at work. I went to Christmas parties at her boss's house, hung out with her and her coworkers, and she took me on all these trips as a child, exposing me to the world. That made me say I would love to be like my mom. I always knew I wanted to make money and have a career. At 16, I was hired as my principal's personal assistant for my first real job, and I've been working ever since then. My mom did it, and then I did it. When I had my son, I worked a 9-to-5 job, got off work and went to school, and on the days I didn't have night school, I was at Kinko's with my baby in a bassinet, rocking him with my foot and typing out papers. That's how I earned my bachelor's degree. You just have to want it.

The best career advice I ever received was from an old supervisor I had, Susan Sullivan. She said, 'You know what? Go for what you know. Shoot for the stars. And nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.'

I would say, if you don't have the patience, don't get into it for the money. Get into it because you like working with children. Because if you get into it for the money, you won't last. There are so many different pockets and so many challenges, and it depends on the people you work with and the school you could possibly be in. I'm fortunate that I'm at a very good school, but there are some who work at schools where it's just not fair. So if you're going to get into this field, get into it because you love children and you want to advocate for change.

The biggest challenge for me is getting parents to understand that you may want this for your child, but is this really best for your child? In the end, you are dinged on performance, but it's not you - it's just that it can't happen because this isn't the right environment for what your child actually needs. As teachers and special education classroom assistants, our hands are tied. We could talk until we're blue in the face, but if it's all about the student being there because it's money, because the student is a representation of money and funding for the school, then do they really care about what the child needs? A lot of these kids are being set up for failure in the CPS school system because what an individual child needs may not be what CPS offers for a child with special needs. There needs to be therapy rooms, and some schools have them, but for the ones who don't, and it's your district and they have a program but that program isn't appropriate, that's the challenge for me. It's like running on a trail going nowhere because this is not going to happen. I don't have the resources to get this child where they need to be. If a child is nonverbal, how can I get him to read a book? I'll read a book to him for sure, but if he can't sit long enough and needs that movement because he or she needs the stem, then I have to let them do that because that's what they need.

In my work life, the values that are important to me are: treat others the way you want to be treated, have a strong work ethic, and just be kind. Be a kind person, be knowledgeable, be flexible, be open. There are no big I's and little U's in anything. It's not all work and no play - you have to prioritize your health and have self-care. That way, you can know your worth, because if you're pouring from an empty cup, who's winning? In my personal life, my prayer life is so important because it's the perfect way to start your day. You have to have a conversation with God first so that your steps are ordered and you're centered throughout the day. You also have to have some form of exercise, even if it's walking or stretching, something to help your body help itself.