College students consider their first years of teaching as their academic success.

Alexis Sanchez is preparing to begin her first semester at UCLA in September, where she will begin studying psychology. She admits that much of her academic success was due to her early education, when she was instilled with values, culture, and offered personal attention.

Sanchez attended Alta Public Schools elementary and high school in Walnut Park, southeast of Los Angeles.

“I’ve always been in small classes, and that worked out for us because the teachers paid more attention to us,” said 17-year-old Sanchez. “We have learned to be open. I’ve been taught this since I was 5 and I feel like it definitely makes me who I am today.”

In a similar situation is Gilbert Hernandez, who will begin his fall semester at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) to study graphic design.

Hernandez said he was very lucky to be able to attend K-11 at the school, where he was identified by his name rather than his number.

“I feel that teachers are more involved in the education of children, getting to know them better,” said the 17-year-old.

Alta Public Schools consists of two campuses: Academia Moderna Charter Elementary Elementary School serving Transitional Kindergarten (TK) through fifth grade and Prepa Tech LA Middle School serving sixth through eighth grades.

Alta Public Schools serves over 900 students as they strive to succeed in the global society of the 21st century. Schools not only provide children with basic learning tools, but also teach them to be curious about what these tools are used for, in relation to what, and in what context.

Alta’s public schools have a key feature with the International Baccalaureate (IB) program combined with primary and secondary education, which is recognized worldwide for providing the highest quality education to prepare students for success in higher education, said Rachel Villalobos. head of instruction.

“So, for the Academy, we have an elementary school program that takes care of children aged 3 to 10. And then in high school [secundaria]we have a middle-aged program that takes care of children from sixth to eighth grade,” Villalobos said.

Proud mothers of families

Ms. Elvia Garcia, Hernandez’s mother, recalls that when it came time to enroll her son in kindergarten, she received a flyer from a neighbor. Upon arriving in the city, he learned that the school was about to become an official school, but they needed a student to get their license.

“But to be accepted, he first had to pass an exam, and when he passed, he was accepted,” Garcia said.

Since then, both have become part of an academic family that has grown over the years.

“From the time they were little, they were taught English, Spanish and Chinese, they were offered many interesting activities, and they were part of the International Baccalaureate program,” said Garcia. “Even at dinner you could see the difference. If the child wanted [un segundo plato] He told the teacher about it and they gave him food.”

Ms. Marta Barajas, Sanchez’s mother, said the education her daughter received was similar to that in private schools. With the difference that this is a public charter school.

“For me, these are the best schools and the best opportunities for students, especially now with so much social pressure,” Barajas said.

Both mothers said they were able to confirm the difference in education as they have more children who attend or have attended other schools and the level of learning as well as individual attention is not comparable at all.

“At Alta, the teachers are very well prepared and dedicated to student development,” Barajas said.

Villalobos said that since the covid-19 pandemic began, Alta’s public school students have become a priority in terms of their mental health. If there are students who are nervous, anxious or afraid, they try to solve the problem and, if necessary, refer them to partner organizations for more professional help.

Students also had the advantage that when virtual classrooms were introduced, since they could not meet at school to prevent the spread of coivd-19, everyone already knew how to work online. Before the pandemic, students were already learning how to use online programs to continue their education.

This was an advantage, since many students from other schools did not have such an opportunity and therefore it was more difficult for them to study.

A year ago, the school had a high school that could not continue, but the teachers hope that soon or they will be able to return it.

Both Sanchez and Hernandez were forced to attend their final year of high school at other high schools. Both argued that the teaching at other schools, while good, was nothing compared to what they were already used to.

“I am grateful that I had the opportunity to go to a larger school to see the difference, and I would say that if parents choose to send their children to Alta Public Schools, they will benefit greatly,” the student said.

“I personally recommend this school because I saw how it changed me,” Sanchez added.

To learn more about Alta Public Schools and their educational program, visit: https://altapublicschools.org/