Farmington Schools Honors Dedicated Parapro Yoshiko Gingerich

Yoshiko Gingerich, a bilingual paraprofessional, was honored Tuesday as Farmington Public Schools Support Person of the Year.

A bilingual paraprofessional for more than 29 years, Gingerich teaches English language skills to Japanese students and provides translations of lessons. She has been known to spend countless hours with Japanese parents over the phone, late at night, to answer their questions about the district's multicultural program.

Gingerich tutors after school, informs parents of students’ progress and often will attend parent teacher conferences on her own time to translate between teachers and parents. She has inspired many students to learn the Japanese language and has seen them go on to take Japanese language classes in high school. 

"She is beyond efficient," a colleague wrote. "To say that Yoshiko is one of the most dedicated and conscientious paraprofessionals in our district would be a pallid understatement. Instead, I shall say this: I entrust Yoshiko on a daily basis in taking great care of all our students.”

Source: Farmington Public Schools press release