As a young child, Alecia Haughton-Francis moved from Jamaica to the United States. “At times the transition was very difficult, but with the help of my teachers, I was able to adjust and excel,” she recalls. “I looked to them as sources of guidance and motivation.” The relationships she formed with her teachers inspired her to do the same for other children. A Howard University alumna, Ms. Francis has spent the past 16 years teaching at Ludlow-Taylor Elementary. “I am a better person because of my students,” she says. “I am able to be myself – the best of me. I laugh and have a great time at work, because every day there’s a new adventure waiting for me in my classroom.”

Collaborating with her colleagues and the parents of her students, Ms. Francis has witnessed continuous progress during her years at Ludlow-Taylor Elementary, both within her own class and throughout the school. Last year, 100 percent of her fourth graders grew two or more reading levels, and over 80 percent scored proficient or advanced on both math and reading on the DC CAS. Ms. Francis also pushes her students to succeed outside of the classroom, coaching the school’s GeoPlunge team to the city championship in the geography competition last fall.

Described by her Master Educator as a “natural teacher” and “a model for all other teachers,” Ms. Francis constantly searches for ways to better serve her students, driven by her belief that every child deserves a world-class education. She tries to make her students partners in the learning process. “I really love to see children come into their own and become great thinkers and doers,” she explains. “Though I am the teacher in this relationship, I see myself more as a partner who teaches and learns alongside my students.”