New Teacher Highlight: Shannon Howard
Shannon Howard joins our elementary faculty as the new Gillispie School Grade 4 teacher! Learn more about her by reading our latest blog post:
What inspired you to work with kids?
I have been around a lot of people my whole life, coming from a big family of 9 children. I very much enjoy meeting and being around people, especially children. I started working with children as a mother’s helper at the age of 10, and since then I have consistently been working with children through various jobs and activities including: babysitting, nannying, coaching, advising, tutoring and teaching. The curiosity and creativity of young people reflects myself as a life-long learner, and their eager minds inspire me to grow each day. Ultimately it was my 4th grade teacher who inspired me to teach, opening up our classroom to a safe place to question, create, learn, and grow. I knew I wanted to be a teacher after reflecting on how much I enjoyed my own educational experiences and the desire to one day provide the same experiences to my students.
What is your favorite thing/hobby to do outside of school?
As I reflect back on my recent summer travels to Ireland with my three sisters, I have seen how much traveling brings me joy. Whether it is local or global, I very much enjoy taking in new and different places, cultures, and people. I look forward to continued travel throughout my lifetime. Aside from travel I enjoy reading, cooking, and being outdoors – whether it’s a hike or a beach day!
What is your favorite subject to teach?
Although I truly enjoy teaching all subjects, I really like teaching Social Studies due to the various lessons from our past that we can provide to build a better future for new generations. I enjoy opening up my students’ eyes to new world views, cultures, and histories from around the globe. I believe it is important to have children understand not only what makes us different, but more importantly what makes us united as people, and what we can do to succeed as global citizens in an everchanging world.
