Whether it’s an area she is familiar with or one she hardly knows, Madison Alestra finds an area of interest so that students at Canton Preparatory High School can better visualize things.
Math isn’t every student’s favorite subject, so Alestra does her best to unearth a connective tissue that will help them absorb the material.
“I always go back to cookies,” she said. “I don't know why, it just clicks every time. I try to bring it back to something. If a kid is a big basketball player, I’ll try to bring it back to basketball even though I don't know much about that, but I can make my way around.”
Her methods are working, as she was named an Excellence in Teaching winner this year as part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) Excellence Awards. She has been at Canton Prep for 3½ years, but it took her a few years to find her footing. Part of that was connecting with students who might be adjusting to the rigors of high school.
“Until last year, I really felt like it wasn’t my first year anymore,” she said. “I wasn’t trying to catch up all the time so I could really put effort into my work rather than stressing 24/7. I could build connections more with my students.
“I mainly teach ninth grade and a little bit of 10th. They’re in a very awkward stage in their life so you never really know what's going to happen, but I embraced it that year. They loved that atmosphere. I felt like after my first year I could really dive into that, and that really helped my academic scores as well.”
NHA’s commitment to teaching a Moral Focus™-based curriculum appealed to Alestra and resonated quickly once she arrived. She was voted teacher of the month by the students in February after being hired the previous month.
That connection hasn’t wavered since, as she continues to teach from a student’s perspective year after year.
“Math isn't always hard if you explain it in different ways and you think about how a student would look at it,” she said. “I've always prided myself on creating a comfortable and welcoming environment and I think last year I really focused on that and truly made my classroom a safe place for my kids and that flourished our entire environment.”
Keep up the excellent work, Ms. Alestra!
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About Canton Preparatory High School
Canton Preparatory High School is a tuition-free, public charter school in Canton, Michigan, serving students in seventh grade through high school. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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