Pike Road Elementary School welcomed a new teacher, Shandrea Story, in January 2022. Ms. Story is the recipient of our Teacher of the Month award for August 2022.
“I chose Pike Road Elementary because it felt like home to me. I love the atmosphere and the people. I started in the middle of the school year, but it felt like I had been there forever. Everyone welcomed me with open arms,” Ms. Story explains.
One thing she values is how the school’s way of teaching is different from any other school where she did her student teaching.
Ms. Story graduated from Auburn University at Montgomery with a Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education. Recently, she returned to AUM and is obtaining a Master’s in Special Education Collaborative K-6.
For many, teaching is a calling, and for Shandrea it is no different. She became a third-grade teacher after doing two internships… both in third grade. This afforded her opportunities and prepared her specifically for her future with her students.
Shandrea has made it her mission to help students grow in many ways. She shares, “Being a teacher means helping students grow academically and personally. Being a teacher means finding the best you, so you can give your all in the classroom. It means working long hours, even after the day has ended, making sure everything is perfect for your students.”
Her classroom goals consist of learning all she can about new research geared toward classroom teaching, making sure she is teaching for the right reasons, and helping her students as much as possible. If her goals change, she believes that’s the exact time she has to make a change.
Ms. Story hopes people understand and embrace the idea that teaching is not a job that ends at 3:30 p.m., nor something you can leave at work.
She says, “I work long after 3:30 p.m. and even on the weekends, especially as a new teacher.” Ms. Story believes her students are absolutely worth it!
Shandrea Story was born and raised in Lafayette, AL, and currently lives in Montgomery, AL.
