Mrs. Taysha Paulo, celebrating her tenth anniversary this year at San Miguel School of Providence, is an amazing woman!
When Taysha comes into the school building each morning, she sees it as an opportunity to start fresh and she encourages everyone on our staff to do the same. She is keenly aware of where students are developmentally and takes them from this point, pushing them to succeed—all the while supporting them along the way. Our Academic Dean, Heather Ruple, states that Taysha is our Good Shepherd! When confronted by a difficult student or a challenging situation, she’ll look at it from all angles and find a new way to approach an old situation that may, at first glance, seem hopeless. She works tirelessly until she finds the right solution to a student in crisis. She knows that there is no cookie-cutter solution to a problem. In fact, one of her former co-workers, Brother Charles Kitson, FSC, says that he can honestly say, “Taysha Paulo is the most dedicated, effective, common sense responder to adolescents and parents in crisis that I have ever had the honor to work with. Taysha is indefatigable. She ‘knows’ her kids. She knows their family stories. She, as St. La Salle would say, incarnates the firmness of a father and the tenderness of a mother.”
In some ways, there is a magical quality in what Taysha does—she can bring out the most reserved child and give him the name “Star” and help him to shine; she can sit with the angriest of students who are barely able to speak and have them talking about the Red Sox and ready to go back to class; she can work with a student who has only met with failure in previous schools and have him as captain of the soccer team by the time he is in eighth grade.
Heather Ruple has observed Taysha developing strong relationships with our parents and guardians. She often takes on the role of second mother for students who need it and the families are most appreciative. One of our eighth graders, Victor, says, “Mrs. Paulo means so much to me because she listens and can relate to my problems. She is like a second mother to me.” Another student, Kelvin, has stated, “Mrs. Paulo is the best role model I could ever have and I have learned a lot from her.”
The beauty of Taysha Paulo is that she was “Lasallian” way before she embraced the moniker. For her, the Lasallian way of walking with young people, especially the poor, was like putting a hand in a glove. Once she had the vocabulary, she knew it was a perfect fit. Bro. Charles notes that Taysha’s caring without counting the price is her way of saying, “Live Jesus in our Hearts!”
Taysha is selfless to a fault and has natural counseling skills. We have all witnessed Taysha in action for many years as she laughed, cried, worried and worked endlessly for the “salvation” of the boys entrusted to her care. She is an extraordinary human being; an excellent administrator and coach; a devoted faculty member; an exemplary and outstanding Lasallian Educator! We celebrate Mrs. Taysha Paulo every day at San Miguel. We are glad that God sent her to us as our boys’ Guardian Angel.