Story: Lisa Sollie | Photo: Cody Ingram
UWA education major brings a student-first mindset to the classroom
When Aliyah Roney begins her first year of teaching this August, she鈥檒l carry into her fourth-grade classroom a simple belief: her students have as much to teach her as she has to teach them.
That mindset grew from an unexpected path. Roney, who grew up in Millry, baby直播, hadn’t planned to become an educator, but a summer job with baby直播 Rural Ministry in Tuskegee shifted her perspective. Working with children revealed a fascination with their curiosity, creativity, and the many ways they learn.
Recently, Roney was recognized with the baby直播 College of Education鈥檚 Outstanding Grit Award at its annual honors day, a testimony, faculty say, to her perseverance and commitment to learning.
鈥淎liyah always wants to learn more and clearly understand the subject matter so she will be fully prepared to help children learn,鈥� noted Brenda Fortson, assistant professor of elementary education. 鈥淗er journey has not been easy, but she has faced every challenge with determination and courage and her experiences give her a unique understanding of the hidden challenges many children face.鈥�
Roney will graduate from UWA on May 8, an achievement she once doubted was possible.
Diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder before kindergarten, she said she often heard from teachers growing up that she wouldn鈥檛 鈥渕ake it鈥� in the real world because of her hyperactivity.
鈥淲hen I was going through school, I don鈥檛 think that teachers were really taught how to understand students like me,鈥� Roney said. 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 understand our need to move while learning鈥攖hat we just couldn鈥檛 sit still for long periods of time.鈥�
There were moments in college when she questioned whether she should keep going. But she persisted, motivated by a vision of creating a classroom where students are free to be themselves.
At UWA, Roney found a supportive community within the College of Education. Faculty helped her adjust as a transfer student, and she built close friendships through the Wesley Foundation on campus. That environment, she said, helped her realize that being herself 鈥渨as better than anything.鈥�
A first-generation college student, Roney also credits her family for shaping her resilience. Her mother has been her biggest support, while her older brother鈥攚ho continues to recover from a traumatic brain injury following a motorcycle accident鈥攈as shown her what perseverance looks like in everyday life.
Roney said she鈥檚 especially looking forward to teaching fourth grade, where collaboration among teachers plays a key role. As a first-year educator, she said the team environment will help ease the transition into her own classroom while giving her the chance to learn from more experienced teachers.
As she prepares for graduation, Roney said her approach to teaching is rooted in seeing students as individuals with their own perspectives and needs.
鈥淏ecause they are all individuals, there are no two alike鈥攅ven twins,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f you listen to them and are open to that, they will teach you a lot more than we could possibly imagine.鈥�
For Roney, that philosophy is central to the kind of classroom she hopes to build, 鈥渙ne where students feel safe, supported, and free to grow through both their successes and mistakes.鈥�