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At Union Mill Elementary School, Centreville High School senior Alexa Ralston is preparing for a teaching career alongside the educator who helped her thrive as a child with dyslexia.
Ralston returned to her former elementary school for a Teachers for Tomorrow internship with special education teacher Sara Kennedy, who taught her from fourth through sixth grade.
“She figured out how my brain worked and how to help me,” Ralston said. “I made incredible progress from fourth through sixth grade.”
The internship has taken Ralston into classrooms across several grade levels. In kindergarten, she helped a student sound out the word “ham” by tapping each sound on a finger. She also watched teacher Christine Waters use rhythm and movement to reinforce literacy skills.
Later that day, Ralston taught sixth graders how to calculate the area of a circle.
The experiences offered a preview of the career Ralston plans to pursue after graduating from Centreville High School in June. She will attend Roanoke College this fall to study elementary education and is interested in both general and special education.
Ralston, who also attends Chantilly Academy, has dyslexia and credits specialized instruction with helping her succeed. Her mother encouraged her from an early age to view dyslexia as a strength.
“My mom has always told me since I was young that dyslexia is my superpower,” Ralston said. “I just have to work harder than most of my peers.”
That experience now helps her connect with children receiving the same kinds of services she once needed.
“I really connect with the kids, because I was once in their shoes,” Ralston said. “But I know how much special reading instruction has helped me, and I’m forever grateful for that.”
For Kennedy, Ralston’s return created an emotional full-circle moment. In January, Ralston emailed to ask whether she could complete her internship in Kennedy’s classroom.
“Oh my gosh, absolutely!” Kennedy recalled responding. “I almost had tears in my eyes.”
Their connection continued long after Ralston left Union Mill. During the internship, she noticed a painted canvas in Kennedy’s classroom and recognized it as artwork she had made in sixth grade. Kennedy had preserved it for years.
Kennedy said Ralston quickly progressed from watching lessons to assisting students, answering questions and teaching. She arranged opportunities for Ralston to experience kindergarten, second grade, fourth grade, sixth grade and reading intervention, giving her exposure to both general and special education.
“The first thing Alexa told me is, ‘I want to learn as much as I possibly can,’” Kennedy said.
Catherine Reinfried, Ralston’s Teachers for Tomorrow instructor at Chantilly Academy, observed her sixth-grade math lesson and said the high school senior appeared unusually comfortable leading a classroom.
“She’s such a natural,” Reinfried said. “It is pretty rare to see a student, especially a level one student, that natural and confident in front of a group of students.”
Reinfried said Ralston clearly explained problems, helped students work through incomplete answers and moved confidently around the room. She was also already building relationships and addressing students by name.
Kennedy saw that same connection develop during the internship.
“She’s so good with the kids,” Kennedy said. “They love her.”
Ralston received Chantilly Academy’s Career Achievement Award this spring, recognizing her internship performance and progress toward her professional goals.
Teachers for Tomorrow is a Virginia Department of Education-approved program that gives interested high school juniors and seniors experience in education while introducing subjects such as child development, classroom management and support for different learners.