Richard Todd Canton would not have believed you if you told him at the beginning of 2012 what the new year would bring.

For thirteen years, he'd worked as a teacher's assistant without incident. Even though he was told every day that he was not a teacher, it seemed he was quite often a hell of a lot more. He was the one who spent the bulk of his time with volatile, angry, and emotionally challenged students-taking everything that was thrown his way and then some.

He was always happy to do his job the best he could, but when a student accused him of improper behavior, he was fired, arrested, and forced to live a nightmare that lasted two years.

If Canton had been a principal or teacher, his ordeal would have been much different, but as a teacher's assistant, he was treated like a second-class citizen by his administration and even his union. Fortunately, he discovered affection and loyalty from some unexpected people and in unforeseen places.