Teriko Roberts is a Behavior Technician (also known as a Behavior Tech or BT) at University High School. This is his first year at UHSSE but he has been working for the Hartford Public Schools district since July 2012.

Mr. Roberts has stated that he has experience in child protection and worked at DCF for eight and a half years. He had also worked in a group home setting and alternative incarceration for a year.

He has his bachelor’s degree from Southern Connecticut State University and is pursuing his master’s in social work at the University of Saint Joseph.

Outside of UHSSE, he coaches the Windsor High School football team. He used to be the head coach at Bulkeley High School and he also used to coach track and field, baseball, and girls’ basketball.

When asked how the school year is going for him he said, “Absolutely fantastic school-wise. It’s been very busy it’s football season and I’m in grad school so it’s been very hard.” He went further saying, “As far as here at University High, it’s been a blessing.”

When asked to define his position, Mr. Roberts defined it as “A cross between a lot of things. Mainly it’s social-emotional support for students.”

Mr. Roberts has also said that his position is pretty flexible. It can be one-on-one support like what a para would do, or it can be group support. He stated that experienced Behavior Technicians usually do group support.

When asked what was his favorite thing about being a Behavior Technician at UHSSE, he said that he loves that he can be more preventative. He also stated, “I [can] spend so much more quality time with students than I did at bigger schools.”

At the end of the interview, he was asked if he had any last words such as a favorite quote he would like to share. He quoted Malcolm X, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”

He went further explaining, “That doesn’t mean you have to fight every battle, but as a human being, there’s so many different cultures and different viewpoints of how you should be. The number one thing as human beings that we need to recapture is being able to stand with a moral compass and a foundation. If foundations are shaken then you won’t have a direction. It’s key even in today’s times.”