After spending most of her 27-year career as a math teacher and an instructional coach at Urbana High School, Melissa Lighty shifted to alternative education, teaching math at Tiger Academy. The shift has been seamless.
”She is kind, honest, firm and fair,” said Joe Wiemelt, Urbana’s executive director of Secondary Multilingual & Alternative Programs. “Teaching in an alternative school/program requires patience, high expectations and consistency, which Ms. Lightly exhibits on a daily basis. We are proud of her work, and our students are fortunate to have a great math teacher at Tiger Academy.”
I find my work important because … It is such an important job teaching the youth and helping them find the joy and purpose of learning. It is really important that we find ways for all students to find their joy of learning. This is why I have found our work at Tiger Academy to be so rewarding this year, and I would love for us to find ways to change how we do education for our students so that they all can reach their best potential.
I became a teacher because … I always wanted to be a teacher, even from the time I was very little. I used to play school and make up math tests and pretend I was different students and take the tests. I spent a lot of hours as a kid playing school. As I got older, the idea of being a teacher didn’t change; I just changed my mind from wanting to be an elementary teacher to a high school teacher.
My “why” has always been wanting to help students learn and be the best they can be. I want them to see the potential they have in themselves to be greater than they already are.
My favorite or most unique lesson that I teach is … My favorite math class to teach of all is geometry. I love to teach proofs to my students. The logic of putting those pieces together is so much fun. I recently have started using the game of Uno to help introduce proofs to my students. Almost all of my students have played the game, and they are familiar with the rules, so we take something they know and are good at and apply it to something they aren’t as comfortable with. The next thing you know, doing proofs isn’t the worst thing in the world, and it makes sense.
My most fulfilling moments on the job are when … students find joy in the math we are learning and what we are doing, especially if they haven’t always had the best experiences in their previous math classes. I love when students realize, ”Wow, we really do use math all the time.” Makes my heart happy for them. I also love it when my students are willing to explain/teach what we are learning to other students in the class. To see that collaboration brings me a lot of joy.
I keep students engaged by … telling them my corny math jokes, and if that doesn’t work, I try to find hands-on ways for them to understand the math concepts that we are learning.
I also think it is really important to know my students beyond the fact that they are one of my math students. I work to get to know them and who they are as a person, which is very important.
Something else I’m passionate about is … sports. I love to watch all kinds of sports. As a family, we like to spend time playing sports and also going to sporting events.
My favorite teacher and subject to study in school was … my tennis coach in high school, Pete Freischlag. I had many great teachers, and yet my tennis coach influenced me the most. He did a great job of building relationships with his players and getting to know them, as well as getting the most out of them. He pushed me in a way that I wanted to work harder so that I could be better. He was a great leader and supporter.
If I weren’t a teacher, I would be … a baker and own my own bakery. I have found over the years that I really enjoy baking, making cakes and cupcakes. Any baked goods really. I think it would be a lot of fun, and I enjoy trying to make different kinds of designs with the cakes and cupcakes.
— ANTHONY ZILIS