Lindsey Lautenbach was pleasantly surprised at how her students performed on their M-STEP tests, but it wasn’t for lack of preparation.
The Excel Charter Academy seventh grade English teacher and her students dedicated many hours to working on their writing in preparation for the test. Much of their focus was looking at things in a macro sense, crafting supporting answers with textual evidence regarding the significance and impact the content had on their lives.
The 2022-23 school year was a challenging one but when the time came for testing, the outcome was a sight to behold.
“We had worked really hard all year to get those results, but the behavior management piece was taking a lot of time last year,” Lautenbach said. “I didn't know until the results came out how well they had done.”
Efforts like that have helped Excel outperform the district for 14 years. Lautenbach is a major reason for that – she has only taught at Excel, having been at the school for 19 years. She was honored as an Excellence in Teaching winner as part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA) Excellence Awards for the 2022-23 school year.
Teaching is something that Lautenbach has dreamed of doing since she was a kid, when she pretended to teach whoever she could find, be it stuffed animals, her younger sisters, or neighborhood kids. Her mom also was a teacher, and she has followed suit with her long tenure at Excel.
Her commitment and dedication to Excel and its families is a tribute to its how the school values engagement and investing in the future of its students. In addition to giving them a classroom environment in which they feel seen and valued, Lautenbach strives to make personal connections that go beyond the curriculum.
“I want them to know that it’s not just about the writing that they produce or the amount of books that they read, it's about who they are as people,” she said. “I don’t see the kids as test results. It’s about way more than that. I look to connect with students on a more personal level than just content.”
Keep up the excellent work, Mrs. Lautenbach!
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About Excel Charter Academy
Excel Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving students in Young 5s through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies 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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