Story by Kaden Bessent
Shauntel McGlothin has been at Northwest Elementary for 10 years. The Brownwood and Howard Payne graduate is preparing for another year of doing what she loves, teaching kindergarten.
“I love kindergarten because at this age the students love coming to school, and their personalities are forming. I love to watch as students learn to read for the first time, and learn to tackle things that may not come easy to them,” McGlothin said.
The children played a role in her aspirations to teach.
“I wanted to become a teacher because of my love of children. I want to create a refuge in my classroom that allows children to feel safe and loved,” McGlothin said. “My goal is to create an environment that enables my students to flourish and grow no matter the obstacles they may face.”
As for who influenced her along the way, McGlothin said, “I have been blessed by many teachers throughout my life. My kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Ellebracht, and my first-grade teacher Marion Barron were two of my favorites. They both planted deep roots that helped to foster a love of learning that never left. Another teacher that inspired me is Dana Cyr. She was my mentor teacher during student teaching. She is the absolute best. She taught me so many invaluable lessons, with the main ones being that teaching is fun, and to find joy everyday.”
Regarding the rewards of teaching, McGlothin said, “The most rewarding part about teaching is the relationships that I make with my students and families that last far beyond the year that they are in my class. It is those relationships that reassure me that I am doing exactly what God put me on the earth to do.”
Looking ahead to what’s next, McGlothin said, “The future of teaching does excite me because the longer I do this the more students I get to help. Although I have no idea what the future holds, I do know that whatever may happen, I will do what I always do: Pray, laugh loudly, and find joy everyday.”
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BrownwoodNews.com will highlight one Brown County educator per day in the month of July, based on nominations received on our Facebook page, for our Teacher Feature series.