Louis McClelland

Caden Browning was voted as the 2024-2025 LCM High School Paraprofessional of the Year.

Caden Browning was selected as the LCM High School Paraprofessional of the Year for the 2024-2025 school year. He was originally nominated for this award, and other teachers and paraprofessionals voted for him to win.

“It was an honor to even be nominated for Paraprofessional of the Year award,” Browning said. “I am very honored and humbled to have won the award.”

As a paraprofessional, Browning supports teachers and students in the classroom. His main concern is aiding the success of students, both academically and behaviorally. Browning has been a paraprofessional at LCM for two years. He has been incredibly helpful to students and teachers alike at LCM.

Browning’s day-to-day job involves popping into classrooms and providing help to students. He could go to two to three different classes within the same class period.

“Most people don’t know that our job is very much time-based,” Browning said. “We have an allotted amount of time that we are required to be in the classroom. That allotted time is the required minimum for that specific class.”

Being a paraprofessional does not come without its challenges. Browning must encourage students to care about their grades and understand the impacts it could have on their future. He says that students are quick to ask, ‘When will I use this in real life?’ He finds it hard to answer, because most students won’t use calculus or trigonometry in their field of work. This kind of behavior is something he must face day-to-day as a paraprofessional.

However, not everything about being a paraprofessional has to be challenging.

“I love seeing the ‘light bulb’ go off when students finally understand a concept,” Browning said. “It’s a really rewarding feeling when students have that moment of clarity and understanding. The unpredictable daily interactions that I have with students are an added bonus.”

Browning’s plans for the future are to continue as a paraprofessional while working to earn his bachelor’s degree. After college, he plans on using his bachelor’s degree to become a high school math teacher.

“I’ve always wanted to teach and coach; teaching is something that runs in my family,” Browning said. “My grandpa was a teacher for years and became a principal thereafter. Seeing the impacts he made on his students, and coworkers, really showed me the difference one person can make in someone’s life.”