HILLSBOROUGH – Mabel Tyberg studied clinical psychology in Argentina before coming to the United States.

But she always knew she wanted to work in the schools.

So she pursued her master’s degree in school psychology at Loyola University in Chicago. From there, she worked in the Chicago Public Schools.

“In Chicago, I was serving the whole district,” she said. “My office was in my car.”

When her husband accepted a position at Duke University six years ago, she applied for school psychologist posts in the area. Orange County Schools called her, interviewed her and practically hired her on the spot.

Tyberg was brought on as a school psychologist for the district’s two middle schools, but she also ended up working closely with the district’s English as a second language program.

“When I first came here, the population wasn’t that big,” she said, referring to the district’s Spanish-speaking residents. “But it has grown.”

At the same time, the district’s staff looked for more training on ways to educate and assess bilingual students. Though it wasn’t in her job description, Tyberg worked with teachers and staff to develop the district’s English as a second language program.

She also teaches UNC school psychology students about cultural differences, legal issues and tools available to evaluate students who don’t speak English.

For that work, Tyberg received the 1999 North Carolina School Psychology Association award for excellence in staff development. Her plaque now hangs in her office at A.L. Stanback Middle School.

Tyberg knows what it is like to come to the United States and not feel comfortable speaking the language. So she can relate to many of the parents and students coming into her office.

“It took awhile to learn,” she said. “They say it really takes up to seven years to feel comfortable speaking. … I keep learning and improving.”

Mabel Tyberg

Age: 46

Lives: Chapel Hill

Position: School psychologist for A.L. Stanback and C.W. Stanford middle schools.

Family: Her husband, Nestor Schmajuk, works as an associate professor in psychology at Duke University. She has two daughters; one is a freshman at Duke University and the other is in medical school at the University of Pennsylvania.

Education: Earned degrees in clinical psychology in Argentina, then completed a master’s degree in school psychology at Loyola University in Chicago.

Award: North Carolina School Psychology Association Award for excellence in staff development.

The award recognized her work in planning and coordinating staff development on bilingual and multicultural assessment and on working with English as a second language students.



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