When her students were asked in a recent survey if, My teacher always encourages us to do our best, 100% of them said this was true of Shannon Weeks.
Even though I always tell them to do their best, I expect that, says Weeks, who was recently named Buford City Schools Teacher of the Year. They will rise to your expectations.
Weeks, 31, has a masters degree in Early Childhood Education from Piedmont College and is currently working toward her doctorate. This past school year marks her ninth teaching third grade at Buford Academy.
She dedicates herself to teaching students to be critical thinkers and confident learners.
Emphasize learning not memorizing, she says. Provide students with critical thinking skills and challenge them to apply what theyve learned to appropriate life situations.
Critical thinking empowers students to be independent, innovative, and successful in school and in life, Weeks says.
She uses the word humbling often when talking about the honor and is quick to praise her colleagues when asked to speak about herself.
I work with the best of the best. I feel that so many people have had such an impact on me and put so much into me as a person and as a teacher, Weeks says. Its important to make learning fun. School should be a place where students want to go. Every day is a new challenge to make a difference in the life of a child.
