My name is Shelley and I have about fifteen years of elementary classroom teaching experience, with most of the last ten years being in a 4th grade, self-contained classroom in Ohio. I love my job because I love to explore and try new things–both in the world at large and in my classroom.
I deeply believe that, as Samantha Bennett says, “The person doing the reading, writing, and talking is the person doing the learning.” I believe that means I need to empower and encourage every student to get excited about complex, purposeful learning. That means my classroom is a student-centered workshop with big projects that aspire to accomplish many learning tasks across the curriculum.
I’m very fortunate to work in a district that empowers teachers to try new things, focus on student needs and interests, and doesn’t require me to teach from a scripted curriculum. However, I have taught in other districts that were far more driven by testing and focused on pre-designed curricula. I firmly believe that in most districts it is still possible to find your way to a more student-focused workshop style of teaching. I’m always happy to brainstorm ways to make your classroom your own within your parameters.
Teaching is always, always, a challenging and hard job. But we can take steps to infuse fun and passion into it and nurture the childlike joy for learning in our students and in ourselves!
The Integrated Curriculum Classroom 