Maya Mehanna co-founded Alexsander Academy to help with the specialized needs of children with autism, ADHD and other learning disabilities.
ALPHARETTA - Maya Mehanna's class is something akin to the old one-room schoolhouse.
The school has just six students.
That's because it's for a specialized group of students.
Alexsander Academy in Alpharetta works with middle school students with autism, but ADHD and other learning disabilities. In addition to the six enrolled kids, the school tutors another eight students after school.
At the moment, Maya Mehanna has just two students and they keep her busy.
"They're extremely bright children," said Mehanna, "And, have a lot of potential. But they just need a small more specialized environment. It was too overwhelming being in the larger school system. It can be easy to see on the outside and judge a child by that. And it's not always easy to find a teacher who's willing to think outside of the box."
Mehanna does just that.
After years of teaching in public schools, she co-founded Alexsander Academy three years ago with the parent of an autistic child.
"The disability is there, but she doesn't see them as the disability, she sees them as the child and she really teaches them as the individual child," said Stafanie Smith, the parent of an autistic child and Co-Founder of Alexsander Academy.
Maya describes herself as firm, but loving and has what she calls "flexible expectations".
"Iit wasn't for teachers like Maya, kids like mine would not have the opportunities that they have," said Smith. It's really amazing. We're very, very lucky to have her."
It's also the reason Maya Mehanna is a winner of the 11Alive Class Act Award.