WHS paraeducator appointed to Humanities Washington Board

It’s a department at the high school that often goes overlooked. Many students simply don’t notice the small room tucked in the back of the commons, even though they eat there every day. To some students, however, this is their own private world.

Special Education paraeducator Ryan Booth lives in this world. He began his education career at Heritage University until he moved to Wenatchee High School last August. Now, he has been appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee to the Humanities Washington Board.

“It’s nice, having been a teacher at the college level and being a para at this level,”  Booth said. “I get to have more hands-on interaction, while as a teacher you have much more meetings and paperwork than what I do. I just get to do the fun stuff.”

Although Booth’s passion is U.S. History, he said he has really enjoyed his experience at WHS.

“The team I get to work with is really amazing,” Booth said. “Each one of the students is their own little puzzle, we’re constantly trying to figure out what works best for them, whereas in a bigger class, what you would call Gen-Ed (General Education) kids, you’re just teaching to the middle. You have really high achieving students and really low achieving students and you just try and hit the middle of the road. Here, you really have tailor-made education for these kids.”

Booth said he was nominated by the Yakima Valley Museum John Baule, who had previously served on the board.

“It’s a pretty amazing group, and what they’re doing. I believe very much in the humanities themselves,” Booth said. “There is something great about English, philosophy, history, all the things that fall under humanities. They can influence the way people think, and it’s those sorts of things where you can really change the world through knowledge.

Humanities Washington’s website reads that some of their goals are to:

• Creating, inspiring, supporting, and enhancing high-quality humanities-related programming.
• Providing organizational and technical support to community organizations across the state.
• Promoting public awareness of the power of the humanities work and the value it provides individuals, organizations, and communities statewide.

Booth said that would like to see technological improvements to wayside improvements, places where people can stop and read more information about the area they’re in, or a historical landmark. “What if there was a way that the exhibits would pop up on your phone and people would read them? Nobody stops anymore.”

    Humanity Washington hopes to see “a state where all people seek a deeper understanding of others, themselves, and the human experience in order to discern and promote the common good,” with Ryan Booth now helping to see that through.