Anissa Miller, Principal

In the summer of 2002, I visited the Great Aunt Stella building to have an interview with Polly Redd for a teaching position at Community Charter School (CCS). Sitting in the interview and listening to her explain the philosophy and mission of the school sent chills down my spine as I realized this was the place I needed to be as an educator. I had just completed a very challenging year in Charlotte Mecklenburg School System being forced to use a reading system that had all students on the same page at the same time with little regard for the child's ability level. This new system was in complete contrast to the teaching methods I had been using since 1997 that were effective and inline with my teaching philosophy.

Since beginning at CCS in the fall of 2002, I have taught 1st through 5th grades. In addition, I have been an after school and summer teacher, the curriculum coordinator, active in the PTC as well as other committees at the school. During the summer of 2007 and the two months before spring break in 2009, I was the interim principal. That experience coupled with interning at both CCS and Charlotte Secondary School and being a teacher at CCS for eight years has prepared me to step into the principal position at CCS.

I am a native Charlottean and I attended school in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system. I received my undergraduate and masters in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and my Masters in Educational Administration from the University of Scranton.

Role of Administration and School
School administration should facilitate a quality education for all students. Schools should provide a safe and nurturing environment. In addition to the basics, students should be taught problem solving skills and given the resources to reach these goals. This would enable students to be prepared for not only the next grade level, but to handle problems and situations in the real world. We are in a technologically advanced society and need to make sure all students have the necessary background with different technology devices to succeed in this new world. Administration should also provide professional development and support to staff to accomplish quality education. Schools should sponsor parent workshops and provide a list of available agencies available to provide additional help for their family. Our most precious resource is counting on us to give them the tools to be prepared not only in school, but in society. I will not let them down. I am helping develop life long learners and future leaders who will be able to reason through difficult problems and/or situations.

Role of the Teacher
The teacher should be well versed in the content he/she is teaching. The teacher should be a life long learner striving to be a Master teacher who regularly attends workshops and courses to keep up with current educational research on the best way to serve his/her students. The curriculum should be integrated and aligned to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. The teacher should reflect and adapt teaching based on self-evaluation and various learning styles of the students. It is important to establish a personal relationship with students by giving them individual attention and maintaining high standards and goals that they can reach. Each student should be challenged at his/her ability level. The lessons and instructional methods should be experiential, holistic, authentic, expressive, reflective, collaborative, and developmentally appropriate in order to develop problem solvers who can be fairly assessed using authentic assessment.

Role of the Student
The student should be able to provide samples of work to be included in their portfolio supporting mastery and understanding of operative knowledge instead of just figurative knowledge from the classroom. The student should strive to progress from simple knowledge to becoming analytical. The student should participate in and lead discussions. He/she should conduct research and experiments to discover answers or prove hypothesis. Students should engage in the use of manipulatives to investigate and develop skills based on prior knowledge. The students should be able to express his/her thoughts and provide supported reasons.

Role of Parents
Parents should be actively involved in the education of their child. They should assist in and out of classrooms. Parents should also make sure their child is well rested, fed, prepared for a school day, and arrive at school on time. They should check folders daily, attend meetings and scheduled conferences. Parents are an integral key to the success of the school community.

Community Charter School offers a unique learning environment. We offer music, art, drama, physical education and band. In addition, students are provided with a host of opportunities in the school and the community as extensions to their learning. The school actively seeks partnerships with North Carolina Arts Council, ImaginOn, and various artists to enrich the child’s experience. Community Charter educates not only the mind, but the whole child.

I feel passionate about Community Charter School, the children, the mission and the philosophy. When I walk the halls and grounds of the school I can see our student’s passion and love of learning and I witness first hand, children growing up to be independent, happy and eager learners.

Isn’t this how kids should experience school?

Come see for yourself how wonderful CCS is. It is truly a magical experience.

Anissa J Miller
Principal

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