Polk State Education student named Employee of the Year at Carlton Palmore Elementary
Julia Barrett is wowing professionals in the field of education before she even has her degree in hand. She was named School-Related Employee of the Year at Carlton Palmore Elementary, where she serves as a paraeducator while pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education at Polk State College.
But Barrett is no stranger to Polk State College or Polk County Public Schools. She started her higher education journey in 2001 at what was then Polk Community College after meeting an ambassador for Believe International on a flight from her native Honduras to visit her mother who had immigrated to Miami.
“My English was really, really bad – I hardly understood anything,” Barrett recalled. “But he explained to me that he was bringing students to Polk Community College through a grant that would give international students in-state tuition.”
Life-changing opportunity
She spent part of her vacation with her mom visiting Polk Community College and ultimately moved to the U.S. to pursue her degree.
Barrett explained that although it was a life-changing opportunity, the grant funding only covered so much, and obtaining scholarships proved difficult as an international student. As an oboe player in the band and a singer in the choir, the Polk State Music Department provided her with a scholarship that supported the rest of her studies.
“Polk State is the affordable option, and the people really care about you – that’s what got me to graduation debt-free.”
She graduated debt-free with her Associate in Science in Computer Network Engineering in 2004.
“Believe [International] got me here but it was the support that I received once at Polk State that got me to the finish line,” Barrett said. “Polk State is the affordable option, and the people really care about you – that’s what got me to graduation debt-free.”
Barrett met her husband and went to work with her mother-in-law at Gulfcoast Community Care, where she served as a Family Support Specialist for more than six years before joining Tri-County Human Services.
“This is when I realized I wanted to go back to school,” she said. “At first, I wanted to get a degree in psychology. I had always worked with kids and families and knew I wanted to do something with children.”
“Then I had my own kids,” she exclaimed. “I missed my girls so much, especially during the summer, so my focus turned to finding a career where I could also have time and summers with my kids. It was then that my mother-in-law suggested that I look for employment opportunities within Polk County Schools, and I am glad that I did.”
An amazing moment
In 2020, Barrett became a paraeducator at Griffin Elementary. Then, COVID hit.
“I was working with a fourth-grade teacher and when she or someone in her family would get sick, she would be out for 10 days at a time,” she explained. “I was filling in and serving as the teacher for the class.”
At the time, Griffin was also a D turnaround school. County and state administrators visited frequently to observe instruction and monitor progress.
“One day somebody observed me in the classroom and asked my principal why I wasn’t a teacher,” Barrett said. “It was an amazing moment.”
If that wasn’t motivation enough for Barrett to enroll in a teacher education program, her principal at Griffin continued to encourage her.
She enrolled at Polk State in the summer of 2023 and joined the first cohort of the Para Pathway Program. This allows paraeducators to continue their education while working full-time.
“I was able to complete 48 credit hours in less than a year and completed field studies at the school where I work.”
“I was able to complete 48 credit hours in less than a year and completed field studies at the school where I work,” Barrett explained. “I also completed my General Knowledge exams and K-6 Subject Area exams.”
She has applied for the Internship Pathway through the Florida Department of Education which would allow her to be paid as a teacher while completing her internship before graduation in 2025.
Now at Carlton Palmore, she expressed gratitude to her principal and administration for their continued support throughout the process.
“They surprised me with Employee of the Year the same day that I had my field studies and observations,” she said. “My principal and assistant principal are just always making my day – they are always there to provide encouragement before I have my field studies and observations, and this was the greatest honor of all.”
Polk State preparation
Barrett says that Polk State’s Education Program has prepared her well for the classroom.
“One of the most powerful tools that has been given to me through this program has been the ability to meet children where they are at,” she said. “We are prepared for our classrooms because we are taught how to measure where our students are at in the process of their education. From testing to planning, we are given the tools to help them get to the next level.”
She noted those “ah-ha” moments as the most rewarding for her in working with students.
“We have great professors who know what they’re doing, and that includes pushing us to get all of our endorsements and certifications done before we take on the role of teacher full-time.”
“Every teacher says something about those moments – when a student really gets something,” she explained. “I love using their own experiences to teach them big concepts using little things that they are familiar with – to make that connection to what I am trying to teach them.”
Barrett added that educators must remain learners themselves.
“We have to work – we sweat for this degree,” she said of her and her peers in the Education Program. “As future educators, we have to be committed to our own learning.”
She touted the Polk State Education Program’s integration of key endorsement competencies into the core curriculum, which allows graduates to enter their classrooms with a plethora of certifications already completed. Teachers may find themselves working on these endorsements and certifications while they are already working in the classroom, but not Polk State graduates.
“We have great professors who know what they’re doing, and that includes pushing us to get all of our endorsements and certifications done before we take on the role of teacher full-time,” Barrett said. “I see many teachers struggle with the added pressure of needing to get their certifications when they are already teaching. I am grateful that our professors push and help us in that regard.”
Polk State integrates English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL); Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM); Exceptional Student Education (ESE); and Reading K-12 endorsements. This customized, standards-based approach is designed to provide graduates with a competitive edge in employment.
More than 167 graduates from the Polk State Education Program are currently teaching in nearly 60 Polk County Public Schools. Others are in private schools, other districts, or out of state.
For 2024, three graduates – Tracy Garcia, Heather Kunze, and Ray – were named Teacher of the Year at their schools. Current student Julia Barnett was also recognized as School-Related Employee of the Year.
“We may complain along the way because it is a rigorous program,” Barrett said with a laugh, “but it sets us up to be the best teachers we can be when we enter the classroom on day one.”