Unbeknownst to many students, hidden in a corner of the Mac lab is the entrance to room MC3, School Psychologist Mr. Raymond Hensley helps support individuals with learning disabilities. An alumni from the class of 2004, Mr. Hensley started working here last fall.
As a student, he played baseball for four years and participated in the marching and jazz bands. Once he obtained his bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University, Long Beach, Mr. Hensley worked with the Center for Autism and Related Disorders and the Leroy Haynes School of Autism before returning to Temple City.
His job involves assisting students who need a more in depth learning plan, and helping them work with their academic handicaps, such as dyslexia or autism. Unlike the school counselors, who provide college and career services as well as general counseling, Mr. Hensley’s main focus is with learning impaired students.
“I have learned a ton throughout my experience working with the various students I have come across,” Mr. Hensley said. “We all have things we can improve on, but I have found it a lot more beneficial to figure out what a kid’s strengths are and use that to guide interventions.”
Because many of the staff he communicates with daily were his former teachers, his perspective of the school has shifted.
“It was weird at first because I had to go back and learn their first names, instead of calling them Mr. This or Mrs. That,” Mr. Hensley said. “But as a staff member, you realize how many people are actually involved and how much work the staff does to create the experience that happens in the school.”
Mr. Hensley is glad to be back, enjoying the positive atmosphere and energy he felt as a student continuing to be expressed today.
TCHS School Newspaper