By: Michelle T., Master Teacher, Christel House Indianapolis, IN

 

I have been fortunate enough to be part of the CHA family since its inception in 2002.  I’ve been a 3^rd and 4^th grade teacher, House Lead, Athletic Director for 6 years, Instructional Coach for 2 years and am currently a Master Teacher.

At the end of this month, I will have completed my 10^th year at CHA.  That’s essentially 1/3 of my life. Fortunately, Christel House Academy has an extremely supportive administration and a staff that bends over backwards and then some for each other and our students.  In my several salutations with Ms. DeHaan, she has made mention of ‘average just isn’t good enough’ and I couldn’t agree more. Every student in the building is my student and it is my job to coach them into being young adults they didn’t even think they could be! 

With that comes daily highs and lows and it feeds my passion to make a difference in the lives of these young minds and their families. So what keeps me coming back each day?  It’s the invitation to an 8^th grade graduation party of a student I had 5 years prior, the emails and visits from students who left us in  8^th grade before we had a high school, an invitation to a family event, a welcomed home visit, having 3 siblings 3 years in a row and seeing the families keep growing, the student who runs up to you to show you they are a published author, an email from a parent saying ‘can you help me, you know my son better than I do,’ the kid who you’ve mentored for years leaving because they think they want a big High School but they come running back a month later enrolling again because they know Christel House Academy is the best place for them!  It’s the parents that want better for their kids and welcome me into their family to help make that happen!