Elementary Teacher of the Year Shontrice Harris , J . A . Hargrave Elementary School
Tell us about your role at J . A . Hargrave . Harris : “ I teach resource and 21st Century skills . My job is to ensure that my students are making the necessary gains and improvements to have success academically . We have smaller class sizes , so I can be flexible , and the students get the attention and help they really need .”
Why do you teach ? Harris : “ I became a teacher to impact kid ’ s lives and to be sure that each one that I come in contact with is able to make a difference in this world and be productive citizens . There ’ s a statement that I live by , and it ’ s engraved on my heart , and it ’ s that I have to become all things , to all of my students , to make the biggest impact , as much as possible , by any means necessary .”
How would you explain your teaching style ? Harris : “ I want to make sure that learning is engaging in my class and according to the students ’ learning style . I give them the tools and supports that we have . I use any technique that I ’ ve learned and that I know will help them to be successful and to learn the material .”
Check out our video interview with Shontrice Harris , Crowley ISD ’ s Elementary Teacher of the Year .
How do you encourage your students to learn ? Harris : “ We are a community of learners . We want to hold each other accountable and ensure that the students are taking accountability for their own learning by following the rules and giving me their very best . Our classroom is a safe place and a safe place to make mistakes . One thing we like to say is that we are going to ‘ fall forward .’ Even if it seems that we ’ re falling and not getting it right , if you are falling and giving me your very best effort , we are ‘ falling forward ’ because we are going to grow .”
What do you enjoy most about teaching ? Harris : “ I enjoy seeing the children improve . Sometimes when you feel failure , or when you ’ re being pulled out of class , it feels like you ’ re being singled out . I wanted to change that feeling that when you ’ re getting pulled out , this is the greatest time of your day , because you know you ’ re going to be successful .”
“ The greatest joy for me is to see them be successful and get to a place where they are so confident with what they are learning that they compete with one another . The best feeling is when the training wheels come off and they know they ’ ve got it . From there , they start asking questions on their own , because they are thinking and that let ’ s me know they are taking responsibility for their own learning .”
20 CROWLEY ISD CONNECTIONS | Summer 2017