FROM THE STAFF - page 1

The Best Part of the Job… (by Amy Williams)
           
I am reflecting back with amazement that this is my seventh year teaching at Headwaters Academy.  In the intervening years there have been tremendous positive changes for both the school and myself. For myself, I have gotten married, been blessed with two wonderful sons, won a national teaching award from A&E and the History Channel, and presented my collaborative outreach project with MSU for the National Science Teachers Association. The school has changed by refining its mission, attracting and cultivating excellent faculty and students, and enthusiastically devoting itself to exclusively to fostering the success of the middle school student. 

One of the most rewarding things about my job is getting to see the growth and successes of my students in the classroom. I’m sure this is true of all out staff here.  Even more rewarding is hearing about their growth and success as they continue in life. Most middle school teachers don’t hear much back from their former students once they move on to high school. Headwaters Academy is very different. I consider myself very lucky to get to hear from my former students regularly and I know that I am not alone in hearing back from former students, all our staff does.  I attribute this to the unique educational environment here.

Students that leave HWA seem to share several characteristics:

    1) a love of learning
    2) pride in their achievements
    3) strong bonds with the faculty
    4) and a maturity in expressing gratitude for what they were taught.

Of the last three classes of “graduating” eighth graders I have had all but four (!) students come back to see me or get in contact with me via the phone or internet. In fact, on BHS’s early release days I am guaranteed to see at least a handful of students and sometimes the whole class will show up (thundering down the stairs, shrieking “Williams!”). Occasionally an adult will wander sheepishly down stairs and poke their head into the classroom and say “Hi Miss Selting, er um Williams?” These are the students from my first years at the school who are now in their late teens and early twenties.

I am amazed and grateful to see them. I am always surprised at how much we (the students and I) have changed, they are always much taller, and yet how much we are still the same. At these reunions there are always discussions of their subsequent teachers (challenging and not), academic and personal successes, and wistful reflection upon their time here (“I wish I was back at Headwaters!”).

Based on the most recent contacts I’ve had with former students, they are doing great! While I am not claiming credit for their hard work and dedication, I have heard back my classes had great influence on them. Here is a sample of some recent communications I’ve had with students.

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