LISA Academy Teachers-"Why LISA works for me"

LISA Academy: So Far, So Great!
By Judith Knieling Daouda

After four years, LISA Academy still works for me. I don’t feel like or think that what I do here is just a job. I really enjoy coming to work everyday to be part of the grand responsibility of guiding our students in the right direction to be productive citizens someday. It’s a big job, and somebody has to do it. I’m glad to still be a part of the team and ready for the exciting challenge.

I’ve met some great people in the past few years here at LISA, and I’ve learned a lot from them both personally and professionally. The students have taught me to have patience, which they continue to test (and I continue to strengthen) on a regular basis. Specific teachers and staff have taught me to be positive. It’s amazing how looking on the bright side can get me through anything.  Having patience and keeping a positive attitude are things that have helped me to become a better teacher and citizen, and a mom that’s ready for anything.

These teachers and students who have taught and helped me are so much more. Some teachers and I have become personal friends and spend time together outside of work. Our children even play together at our many weekend brunches. Several students and I have great bonds. It’s always so much fun to see them at school activities and sit with them at sporting events. We have wonderful students who are genuinely good people. I’m proud to say that I’ve been a part of their upbringing. I expect great things to come from many of them.

Honestly and most of all, I feel thankful that I’m at LISA Academy for a couple of reasons. I’m thankful to be a part of something that many people know is so great. We have high standards and expectations at our school. I’m thankful and thrilled to work with people who make tremendous efforts to maintain these standards and expectations. We have a mission, and we all work toward achieving it. Both teachers and students are well aware of what it takes to do so. Also, as our country is going through a challenging time, I’m thankful to have the opportunity to come to work and actually enjoy it. I’m thankful that I’m needed. Things could be different for me or for any of us here. While I’m here, I’m making the best of what I think is a great situation. I really consider myself lucky.

Of course there are things that could make my experience even better, and I could think about what I don’t have, but I’m happy with I do have. The positive aspects of my experience out weigh any negative that could exist. LISA Academy is a part of my life that has helped to shape me into who I am now. As my experience continues, I’m optimistic about the future. LISA is where I want to be for a long time. I hope to continue to grow and mature as the school does.

LISA Academy is a school that is not afraid to think outside the box. As a college graduate in 2005, I applied to LISA not knowing what to expect. I immediately found a new family. As I told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in 2006, LISA has much more of a family atmosphere than other schools. LISA’s school picnics, family nights, international trips, home visits, and a plethora of other outside activities make the school a shining beacon above and beyond traditional public schools. The dedication to student success at LISA is unparalleled to other schools. Teachers at LISA work overtime to provide extra tutoring to students who need additional learning. While teachers at traditional schools leave at 3 pm, teachers at LISA stay at least until 4:30. They are either tutoring, teaching a class, conducting AP review classes, or offering a club. I remember speaking to a friend of mine who teaches at a traditional public school and she was shocked to hear that teachers at LISA did not leave at 3 pm. When I told her about LISA’s academic achievements she understood. The commitment to excellence is what makes LISA Academy stand out in the educational community and I am proud to be a part of this amazing academic institution. I am honored to have been with this school when there was only grades six through nine and am so proud that our student population has grown so much that LISA had to construct a new building. That is a clear statement that LISA Academy has been and will continue to be a triumphant success.

McKinley Donnor

LISA Academy Social Studies Teacher 2005 to present

LISA Academy works for me due to the simple fact that it is a safe school both for me as a teacher and for my two adolescents, who have attended LISA for going on six years. Both my children had previously only attended private, religious based schools. Unsatisfied with the academics in those schools, I searched for a school that held academics in high esteem. LISA Academy was and continues to be the answer for the whole family! I have always felt safe in the classroom, on field trips, and even on a three-week trip with the students. Most importantly, LISA Academy administrators value my opinion as both a teacher and a mother. The triad relationship between parent/teacher/student is particularly crucial at LISA Academy. LISA Academy is a family of caring educators and engaged students. It works for me!

Suzanne Rogers

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LISA Academy is a college preparatory charter school located in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Please celebrate with us our wonderful teachers.

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