Teacher of the Month: Allison Zustra

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Students in Brayton Elementary School pre-kindergarten teacher Allison Zustra's class develop a love of learning through play, music, movement, and hands-on activities. 

 

It is the creative and engaging environment where curiosity and confidence can flourish that has earned Zustra the iBerkshires.com Teacher of the Month designation. The Teacher of the Month series, in collaboration with Berkshire Community College, features distinguished teachers nominated by community members. You can nominate a teacher here.

 

Zustra has spent her 14-year career so far with the North Adams Public Schools, and one thing has remained constant: her passion for teaching the district's youngest learners.

 

She is the Grades preK-2 school's pre-kindergarten teacher, a role she says is exactly where she is meant to be.

 

"It definitely is my passion," Zustra said.

 

In preschool, teachers have the flexibility to instruct and provide curriculum in a way that she thought best met the needs of the students.

 

"I feel that students learn best through multimodality learning, through movement, through song, through hands-on experience, and preschool really lends towards that model," she said. 

 

In Zustra's classroom, the students are not the only ones learning. She embraces the opportunity to learn alongside them, creating shared experiences that allow everyone to discover new things together and learn in the best way possible, she said.

 

She brings lessons to life through hands-on exploration, music and movement, encouraging students to actively experience what they are learning rather than simply listen to it. 

 

Whether they are exploring letters and their sounds, acting out stories or learning concepts, or clapping and jumping out syllables, each activity is designed to engage multiple senses to ensure every child can learn in the way that works best for them, she said. 

 

"I really hope that they keep that sense of joy in learning. They keep that sense of love for learning. I want them to continue to love it, continue to find joy in it," Zustra said. 

 

Several of her pupils described Zustra's classroom as a magical place, pointing to activities like coloring and using her "magic wand" to transform them into different animals as some of their favorite moments.

 

As they learn in these ways, the students are gaining ownership over their learning, which makes it more fun and engaging. 

 

"I think that when you are engaged and you want to learn that really helps you to, you know, develop a sense of ownership over that learning, and you become a lifelong learner," Zustra said.

 

She works to create a safe learning environment where students understand that making mistakes is a natural part of the learning process.

 

"I want them to know that there's always another day, we can always try again, not be afraid to be who they are, and to do their best, but willing to take those risks," she said. 

 

Since starting her career, schools have placed a greater focus on inclusiveness in the classroom, Zustra said, highlighting how she works closely with the school's special education teacher to integrate special education students into the classroom, adapting materials and curriculum to ensure all students can learn alongside their peers.

 

"That has really become something that has developed throughout my career, and it's definitely something that I find pride in, and I find joy in," she said. 

 

In preschool there are a lot of "small wins" that are easy to overlook as play or reading a book, but during that time they are learning essential skills including social emotional skills, manners, independence, and other curriculum such as identifying letters, numbers, shapes, and colors, Zustra said.

 

"That's all happening when you don't even realize it. So, when students make those small wins, when they know that letter that we've talked about as part of a game, those moments make me feel proud because I know that they didn't even know they were learning it, and they did. It's a sense of pride," she said. 

 

Although not fluent, Zustra has also incorporated some sign language into her teaching, signing a lot of things including colors and directions. Signing is another way kids can take in information. 

 

"For a lot of the students, when you provide too much verbal language, they stop listening. They stop comprehending what you're saying because it's just too much verbal language," she said.

 

By pairing signs with verbal instructions — such as using a sign for "sit" or "eat" — she can support students who may not learn best through auditory instruction or who may become overwhelmed by too much verbal language, she said.