Name: Alyssa Clark-Anaman
Breakthrough Program: Minneapolis
Subject Teaching: Science
School Attending/Year: Loyola University Chicago '12

I have been apart of the Breakthrough Collaborative for the past three summers. At the close of my first summer it felt like I finished a race that I didn't think I could win. By the end of this summer, I can confidently say that this is the place that I belong. I feel comfortable in a classroom and with my students, I no longer have to wonder what they think of me because they tell me. I feel that ITTI has changed my teaching style for the best; every student in my class loved science by the end of the summer. I think that by increasing my passion for learning and the amount of effort and class room management I put into each lesson my students not only felt safe in my class but actually learned things they wouldn't learn until at least their Junior year of high school. This summer tested me personally but my students became the reason I wanted to wake up in the morning. I can now confidently say the classroom is my arena and I can't wait to get back in.

Celebration is an event that showcases all students work and classes at the end of the summer. At LearningWorks: a Breakthrough Program, it is a time for the community (Host School, Students, Teachers, Alums, Family) to come together to celebrate the accomplishments our students have made over the past six weeks. To me it is similar to a graduation and an open house, with all the excitement of sharing performances and projects. While the emotions are bittersweet for me as a teacher, there isn't a better way to see your students true potential than to see them perform. Celebration brings my family closer together because they can see the impact I have made in my students lives for the past three summers. That is what Breakthrough is all about - showing students that it is possible to learn and still be cool and completely themselves.