LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Augustus Alexeas was nominated by the principal, Vincent Hunter.

Effective teachers and instructional leaders have strong visions and values that drive all school activities, student learning, and academic growth. They create a sense of urgency and excitement about teaching and learning. They maximize the effectiveness of any curricular approach by leading adults to learn about instruction and have deep knowledge of the curricular approaches they are implementing in their schools.

Effective teachers and instructional leaders organize the resources of time (through school programming) and money (through site-based budgets) to support their instructional agenda. Spending most of their time in classrooms, observing instruction, modeling lessons, and developing capacity in their school buildings, effective teachers and instructional leaders know data-driven instruction when they see it and know how to create it when they do not. 

Effective teachers and instructional leaders create time for teacher collaboration through scheduling and programming and guide that collaboration. They know how to recognize the assets in their school communities and build on those assets for the purposes of student learning. They actively disseminate best practices within their professional learning communities (PLCs) by encouraging inter-visitations, coaching and supporting where needed, and focusing all professional development toward improved student performance.

Effective teachers and instructional leaders also look outside the school for exemplary practices or new approaches and use outside experts to build instructional capacity inside the school. 

Effective teachers and instructional leaders know how to analyze student performance data and use that data to determine what students and colleagues need to learn, where to start when implementing a new approach, and how to measure whether the implementation is effective at getting students to meet/exceed high-stakes testing standards. They teach their staff and encourage colleagues to analyze and use student assessment in their teaching.

Effective teachers and instructional leaders know how to implement new approaches strategically by data desegregation and observing teacher best practices, planning a focused entry point that addresses a compelling need, involving key staff in early implementation, generating enthusiasm for early successes, and spreading the initiative to other staff members and other areas for improvement through powerful communication, persuasion, and purpose. 

Effective teachers and instructional leaders set clear standards of behavior and model that behavior in their interactions with all members of the school community. They value parent and community participation in the instructional agenda. They make the language of schooling accessible to parents and community members.

"Most of all, they take time to explain new curricular approaches as the basis for building relationships. Last but surely not least, effective leadership begins with passion. Without passion, a person will have very little influence as a leader. I believe passion provides an individual with the light of leadership and creates an undeniable drive to make a difference in children's lives," said Hunter. "What I have just shared is what Mr. Augustus Alexeas displays daily. Mr. Alexeas is a devoted husband, father, son, and, most of all, a change agent for children. Regardless of a student's reading or computational skill level, Mr. Alexeas meets them where they are and moves the academic needle. Mr. Alexas is a difference-maker for the children of Memphis. I am proud to serve our community with Mr. Alexeas."