Teacher takes entertaining approach to learning

Parents, students and fellow teachers use many words to describe Melissa Brace, but "boring" is not one of them.

Mrs. Brace home-schools three of her four children; teaches chemistry and drama twice a week with Veritas Christian Academy, a home-school co-op; serves on the academy's board; works as a part-time pharmacist at Fort Gordon; and is the children's director at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Martinez.

She is also working with a group of girls on a choreography project and is a soccer mom.

"She gives of herself tirelessly and does it with energy and enthusiasm every time," said Donna Carter, another co-op teacher. "She has a servant's heart, and it's evident in everything she does."

Mrs. Brace has found that her passion for teaching grows with each student she reaches, she said.

"I come alive when I teach," she said. "I love being able to help others understand and feel comfortable with subjects, especially science. When that light bulb comes on, I just love knowing that I've reached them."

Because the co-op meets only twice a week, each class is two hours long, she said. In order to keep the pupils' attention, she switches activities every 15 minutes.

"What I've learned is that every student learns differently and that typically their attention span isn't that long," she said. "So, when I change up the activity, I also change up the teaching style so that by the end of the class I have kept each student's attention and have reached each student through their learning style."

You won't hear much lecturing in her classes, she said.

"I hated that in school," she said. "It can make an interesting subject boring, and it can make students dread it. I don't want to do that. I want every student to enjoy learning."

The different activities are a help, said one of her pupils, Anna Irish, 15.

"It definitely keeps me focused," she said. "It's amazing that she has just as much energy as we do to switch things up that often. You can't help but love the subjects when you're having fun learning."

Ashley Strother, also 15, agreed.

"She makes it really easy to learn things. She never runs out of fun things to do," she said. "She also has high expectations for each of us, but she is very patient with you."

The most rewarding part about being a teacher is realizing that what was taught was learned, Mrs. Brace said.

"When kids come back and say that they learned something from me and that the subject, particularly chemistry, wasn't as bad as they thought, it makes all the hard work that goes into it worthwhile," she said.

Reach Nikasha Dicks at (706) 823-3336 or nikasha.dicks@augustachronicle.com.