Katie Marmino is a behavioral specialist at Jones Elementary School. With this title comes quite the list of responsibilities, yet it allows Marmino to gain skills for her life outside of work.
“I spend most of my time helping the teachers figure out what the kids need in order to help their development, especially when they start getting to age 5. When they start getting to age 5, we are really looking at what we need to do to get them kindergarten ready,” said Marmino. “I tailor interventions to help these kids so they can succeed. We want them to go into kindergarten with all the skills they need. Since I am at Jones Elementary, I do similar things throughout the building. I'm just using strategies to help teachers with anything they need for any of the other kids.”
Marmino has been around children since her early days; it’s a skill she has carried with her through her entire life.
“Growing up, I've always worked with kids. I've worked with kids in the summertime and worked with kids in afterschool programs and through college. I got my degree in psychology and behavior,” said Marmino.
Although Marmino had a passion for working with children, she went through a stage in life of confusion. She was genuinely tested and finally found what she was meant to do.
“I took a brief detour and attended law school. I got my law degree at the University of Mississippi but ultimately decided I really wanted to work with kids again. My husband and I moved back up to Indiana, and I was offered the chance to work at a residential facility for teen girls with mental health issues,” said Marmino. “That's where I really fell in love with teaching people and showing kids that it's normal to have different emotions and feelings.”
Teaching children in school is one thing, but teaching children of your own can have some similarities and differences in comparison. Marmino found that out in the most beneficial way possible.
“Working with kids and seeing them at school has gotten me to change my perspective on parenting,” said Marmino. “I spend most of my day trying to figure out how to work with kids at their developmental level, so it gives me that different perspective on my daughter.”
Preparation for becoming a parent has been one of the biggest takeaways for Marmino. Working with children from all different types of backgrounds has been extremely beneficial for her personal life.
“I feel like it gives me a little bit of an advantage and disadvantage because I get to see what I need to work on. It's definitely nice to know what we need to do to help her succeed. If she is struggling with something, I'm not scared of the idea of her needing any special accommodations because those are things I work with every single day – it doesn't change the child and it doesn't change how you address them as a person,” said Marmino. “It is very nice to take that fear and that ‘what-if’ out.”