Workshops Give Students, Teacher a Sense of Teamwork

Stephanie Haines strives to provide her students with a collaborative learning environment. By using workshops, they get that and much more.

Whether it’s math, English Language Arts, or another subject, using workshops gives her fourth-grade students at Reach Charter Academy a small group space to work together to figure out the solution to a problem or work on a specific standard. It provides them with a structure that they are familiar with that enables them to be cognizant of the standards they need to work on. And they do all of that as they build their self-esteem, check each other’s answers, give each other advice, and learn from each other.

“I love the peer collaboration and how they debate with one another and come to conclusions,” Haines said. “I love building self-esteem and helping them believe in themselves so they can better. That’s my main thing.”

Haines has been teaching for 15 years and also has served as a paraprofessional. She was nominated for Teacher of the Year from the state of Michigan in 2023.

This is her first year at Reach, which has outperformed the local district since 2010-11. She was initially impressed with the demeanor of the administration during her job interview and has enjoyed the friendliness displayed by staff and students.

“I love the open door policy from the administration. I love that everything you need is here,” she said. “If there’s something you need and it’s not here, they’re able to get it for you. I love my students, they’re very well behaved. They work hard.”

Keep up the excellent work, Ms. Haines!