From Paraprofessional to Lead Teacher: Falling in Love with Education

Some children have an immediate answer for what they want to be when they grow up: firefighter, lawyer, construction worker.   

Others have a more fantastical answer: a donut, a flower, a shooting star.   

Buffi Burk had no answer.  

“I didn’t think about it,” said Burk, who is now a kindergarten teacher in Guam and an adjunct professor for Moreland University. “I didn’t really think about college. Teaching was never even on my radar.”  

Falling into Education 

Burk grew up with her grandparents in Salem, Oregon. She loved learning, but school was never easy. Her grandmother had little formal education, and her grandfather had to drop out in the fifth grade to help care for his family. 

So when Burk struggled with her homework — which was often — her grandparents were unable to help. 

“Resilience is everything, and I think I get that from my grandmother,” she said. “I was not the brightest star in the sky. I was not the kid helping you do your homework. I was the kid trying to figure out my own homework.” 

After high school, Burk got married, and she and her husband moved to London, Washington, Portugal, and then Guam for his job with the Air Force. They had two children, and Burk settled into life as a military wife and mother. She didn’t think at all about her own career until her children were old enough to go to school. Then, when her son was in second grade and her daughter in kindergarten, she started looking for a job that would fit their schedule. 

There was an opening for a paraprofessional at their school, and Burk applied. There was nothing more to it, she said — the job happened to be open, and it happened to fit her schedule. 

She fell into teaching. 

Then, she fell in love with it.  

‘The Best Decision I Ever Made’ 

As a paraprofessional, Burk learned a lot from her lead teacher, who was firm but fun. She learned how to set classroom boundaries and expectations. She also learned about data, lesson plans, state assessments, and how to work with students’ parents. Soon, she was running entire lessons on her own. 

“Some paraprofessionals don’t have the same experience,” she said, “but I was blessed with a great teacher. We’re friends to this day.”  

Burk went on to teach in a private school, where she wasn’t required to have a teaching license, then she and her husband opened their own learning center out of their home. 

After that, Burk decided she wanted to earn her professional teaching license, so she enrolled in Moreland’s TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program. She did Moreland’s master’s add-on as well, earning an M.Ed. in educational research.  

She has a passion for students who struggle. Those who don’t think they’re smart or don’t think they can get it. 

She’s also passionate about helping English language learners, particularly the Micronesian students in Guam who come from the outer islands and sometimes aren’t treated well. Growing up in Salem, Burk was one of few minority students in her school, but she remembers the teachers who treated her well and gave her confidence. She wants to be that teacher for her students. 

This year — along with teaching at Moreland University — Burk is starting a new job teaching kindergarten for the Department of Defense Education Activity in Guam. She can’t wait to guide her students through the different stations in her room, teaching them math, science, and reading. She can’t wait for circle time, songs, and recess. 

“The best decision I ever made was going into education,” she said, “because I just love everything about it. I even love grading.”