My name is Nancy Tacza. I am a graduate of Aletheia as of May 2022. After deciding to choose a different route from community college, I joined this small college in Jerome, Idaho for my education. I was unsure of what I wanted to do at this point of my life, but my mentors and classes encouraged me on a personal level. I was able to discover my passion for teaching and discipling while at Aletheia.
I am an Education major with a certificate in the One-Room School Method. I learned about the Principle Approach method of education which trained me to train students to think for themselves, as well as have an understanding and reason for their faith. The One-Room School Method taught me to teach each individual while also teaching every class as a whole. All students are in one classroom and learn together. I was able to apply what I learned in classes right away at Precepts Christian Academy, their model school. I taught subjects such as Math, Reading, Writing, Music, and Spanish during these semesters. On top of teaching, I created curriculum for these subjects and more during my studies. It was an amazing opportunity to get “hands-on” practice during the program.
Besides learning to teach in a formal school, I have had lots of opportunities to teach in church camps, youth groups, and young adult groups through Aletheia. These ministries have allowed me to teach youth coming from various language backgrounds, ethnic backgrounds, educational backgrounds, and much more. Aletheia reaches out to the refugee communities every year for church camp, youth group, and other events that they host. I have had the pleasure of being a part of these ministries for the last 4 years. I am now more passionate as a teacher to teach youth of all backgrounds. Rather than fit students into one set curriculum, I want them to have the support and freedom to learn how they learn best.
Now that I am graduated, I look to where and when I can apply all that I have learned. Of course, I applied it right away in the ministries I am still involved in with the Nepali, Sudanese, Spanish, and others that I teach at youth group and Sunday school. Since graduating, I am still formally assisting Aletheia professors with classes. I have been tasked in leading discussions, assisting with writing papers, helping with projects, and other tasks I am assigned. My first hire as a formal teacher was at a One-Room School in Charlotte, North Carolina that worked with kids of learning and developmental disabilities. I learned more about teaching the individual in this setting through applying my education in a real world. I am now full-time teaching at a Principle Approach, One-Room School. The school has recently brought in youth from the refugee community that Aletheia has been reaching out to. This is where I am continuing to put my skills to the test, as they say.
As I look to the future, I have a desire to reach out to places where there is great need for GOOD education. My hope is to one day start a school of my own where any child can be included. A future opportunity I am planning for is a trip to Cairo, Egypt in January 2024. There, I will have the opportunity to visit schools, refugee communities, churches, etc., and learn about their education needs. I am excited and humbled that such an opportunity has been offered to me. I want to understand their way of life, way of thinking, and way of communicating so I can learn how they learn. There are other people and places I hope to reach out to further down the road, but I am looking forward to this one!
