While she was away last year, the procedures in place allowed the long-term substitute teacher to step in and keep students focused on being proficient. Haynes diligently utilizes the analytics tab of the gradebook to focus on helping students reach proficiency.
Repetition is a simple concept, but with the resources and support provided by National Heritage Academies, she can go over a question from an assessment and scaffold the information to give students the instruction they need.
“Next time a question like that comes up, they know what to do,” she said. “Or it’s seeing a standard they’re struggling with, I'm able to pull students for that standard and work on different strategies with them to get them to where they need to be. But honestly, I live and die by that great book analytics tab.”
Haynes, an eighth-grade language arts teacher, is in her 10th year at Great Oaks Academy. Her childhood aspiration of becoming a teacher was felt around the house, with her siblings playing the role of students. A natural ability to teach emerged from those faux classrooms, and eventually led her to a career in education.
She arrived at Great Oaks in the middle of the school year and was blown away by the support available. She learned not just the benefits of having intervention for students but also the reasoning behind the practice.
“It’s that immediate feedback where I could apply it to my classroom, which I feel like that’s really helped refine my skill as a teacher,” she said.
Helping students make those gains, fill in gaps, and reach their potential despite a potential stigma or skill level is Haynes’ goal every year. Her efforts are a shining example of why Great Oaks has outperformed the district for 14 years.
“I’m confident in my abilities as a teacher to get you to where you need to be,” she said. “I can give you all the tools, I can give you all the resources, but at the end of the day, it’s up to you to apply and be intrinsically motivated enough to make it happen.”
Keep up the excellent work, Mrs. Haynes!
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About Great Oaks Academy
Great Oaks Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Warren, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten 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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