Denton ISD Our Impact In Your Community Magazine Summer 2017 | Page 8

Mrs. Shelly Renfro enjoys teaching
students scientific things for practical
use, as she shares the benefits of
planting ground cover to prevent soil
erosion.
Elementary Teacher of the Year
Renfro believes listening is key to student success
A
s the fifth-grade science teacher to 100
students at W.S. Ryan Elementary School,
Shelly Renfro works to string together the
simple moments of success. Daily, she
celebrates meeting her students where they
are and moving them forward.
“Sometimes with students you
plant seeds all year long to see
them come to fruition all at once,
and sometimes that might be at
the very end,” Ms. Renfro said.
“When I see that, it’s what keeps
me going.”
Story by
Julie Zwahr
Photos by
Ernie Stripling
and
Clif Cotton
A good part of her day is spent
modeling a love of science,
especially when she’s working in
the school’s Outdoor Learning
Environment (OLE). The area
serves as an eco-lab where the
“Green Team” tends to the Tower Gardens
where the harvest of herbs and lettuces grow
in abundance.
“When students see me working right
alongside of them, and we are getting our
hands dirty, they realize that I’m learning as
well,” said Mrs. Renfro. “That’s important, and
I find them working hard or as hard as I do.”
The opportunity to discover new things
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and explore different ideas gives her the
opportunity to interact on many levels
with her students. She believes the most
important thing is relating to her students.
“I try to listen to hear how they make a
connection to learning something, and when
they are using the knowledge it’s
exciting,” said Mrs. Renfro.
She believes that when students
can re-explain something they’ve
been taught or show examples of
how they are using information
it deepens understanding and
demonstrates knowledge of a
subject.
“Teaching is a lot of listening, and
they (students) might think that
I’m not paying attention,” she
explained. “But, I try to stay constantly in
tune even when we’re working on something
tactile or having lunch, I’m always listening.”
For more on Mrs. Refro watch this
https://youtu.be/JAH7P6QB4Y0