Lisa Jackman first saw Cross Creek Charter Academy through the eyes of a parent. She was looking for a school for her oldest child 20 years ago and had heard great things.
Those words were confirmed from the warmth she felt from the staff and artwork adorning the halls on the school tour. It made her feel at home, along with the appeal of the school’s academic excellence, so much so that it led to her being part of the team as a teacher.
“I remember walking through the school the first time as a young parent and seeing artwork on the walls,” she said. “You could tell it was a school of excellence and the expectations were high and that is what we have – very high expectations of our children.”
Jackman has taught at the school for more than 10 years. All three of her children have thrived after attending Cross Creek, two of them college graduates and another currently in college.
Her perspective as a parent and teacher who sought to help young minds reach their potential has led to her being named an Excellence in Teaching winner this year as part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) Excellence Awards. She strives to push them just a little bit more each day, buoyed by NHA’s cross-curricular lessons that have seen Cross Creek outperform the district for 16 years.
“The other day we were doing math and all of a sudden the students said, ‘This sounds so much like science,’” she said.
Jackman does not take for granted the two-way impact that she gets to be part of with her fourth-grade class each year. She cherishes the unique qualities of each group of students she gets to educate and learn from cycle after cycle.
“I truly believe that every student is in my class because that’s part of my journey and part of their journey,” she said. “I just want them to leave knowing that they made an impact on my life and hopefully I made an impact on their life.
“And as we journey through life, we always remember that fourth grade year. I always say to the students this time of year, we'll never have this exact mix of students ever again. There will never be these 28 kids in a room for a year again. That’s just such a special thing to know.”
Keep up the excellent work, Mrs. Jackman!
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About Cross Creek Charter Academy
Cross Creek Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Byron Center, Michigan, serving students in Young 5s through eighth grade. 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 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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