Elementary School Focuses on
Teaching the Heart and Mind
MISD Teacher Named KLTY Teacher of
the Month
N
ational Random Act of Kindness Week was in
February; but at Martha Reid Elementary School,
the kindness is spread year-round.
Students and staff have all taken part in the Kindness
Challenge. It’s an initiative started by first grade
teacher Sara Buchan who wanted to teach children
how to pay it forward.
“I can make them brilliant in math, but if they do not
have social and emotional intelligence, I have failed
them,” said Buchan.
The eight-year Mansfield ISD teacher started
incorporating what she coined as a kindness mat.
The mat is a non-reward-based sheet of paper with
different nice gestures students can do. She later
contacted the founder of Secret Blue Butterfly and
received blue butterflies for teachers to hand out to
students who go above and beyond.
An entire hallway is adorned with blue butterflies
hanging from the ceiling as a reminder to children to
pollinate the world with kindness and love.
“None of this could have happened without the
support I received from the principal and teachers,”
said Buchan. “We have a segment on the morning
announcements about the Kindness Challenge, and
everyone has really bought into the whole idea of
promoting joy.”
Reid Elementary staff hopes the kids use the lessons
learned to continue having a heart of compassion as
they grow older.
Stephanie Shackelford (middle) received hundreds of dollars in
gift cards and other prizes from KLTY.
S
he usually likes to stay behind the scenes, but
Brooks Wester Middle School teacher Stephanie
Shackelford was front and center to be recognized
for a job well done by a local radio station.
Hundreds of students and staff gathered in Wester’s
gym to honor Shackelford for receiving the 94.9
KLTY Teacher of the Month award. The award is
given to deserving teachers who are nominated by
the public. Coworker Julia Stephen said she wrote
into KLTY after seeing how hard Shackelford
worked to raise more than $10,000 for the campus’
Angel Tree program.
“She really took the bull by the horns,” said
Stephen, seventh grade science teacher. “She did
the planning, and put in the hours, and the time, and
the energy. She was just incredible to work with—
very excited, motivating, and inspirational.”
Shackelford said she is in shock and humbled by
such acknowledgement.
“I’m not used to having the attention on me, so this
is all so new for me,” said Shackelford. “I hope
students take away from this assembly that when
you do good, something good eventually comes to
you—even though you’re not doing it to get any
sort of recognition for it.”
At the award ceremony, the audience received an
additional treat by having two members of the
world-famous Harlem Globetrotters—Buckets
and TNT—speak to them about the importance of
having good character.
Teacher Sara Buchan smiles with two of her students who have
earned blue butterflies.
Mansfield School & Family 27