Shannon Turner: Certified North Carolina Teacher

Letter to Future Self

Dear Ms. Turner:

I hope this letter finds you well and that it has been a good year for you and your students.  I understand that teaching is not your first career, but that you really enjoy finding the potential in your students and helping it bloom.  Despite the fact that you are relatively new to teaching, I noticed that you have a really clear idea of how to help individual students.  With your clear vision of plans for students you must remember that you are part of a team with the grade-level teachers, other specials teachers, the parents, administrators and even business partners in the community.  So keep them in the loop and make sure to offer ways that they can be included in the students’ learning success without making them go too far beyond their comfort zone. 

Also, when you’re working with students whether in the classroom or out of the classroom, don’t forget about the value of communication and that you need to stay in touch with the parents, classroom teachers and other important members of the school.  A great way to do this is to keep a weekly blog linked to the school website, send home a monthly newsletter or something else entirely; with so much technology, the possibilities are limitless.  This link to your teaching and resources will help make you a more prominent and appreciated teacher, as well as make your connections with the whole school community stronger. 

Next, with your personal experience as an identified gifted student with an unidentified learning disability, I believe you have a unique perspective to offer “Twice Exceptional” (2E) students.  Once they have been identified, you should help students and parents to accept the possibility, because gifted students (and their parents) may be resistant to the idea that they may need skills in addition to their giftedness in order to reach their full potential. These students will take the most delicate handling due to the many misconceptions about LD students and gifted students when the traits are combined in one person.  Specific coping methods and enrichment will have to be tailored for each 2E student and though this will take extra time, it will make the eventual success of these unique students even more rewarding.

As for your professional goals, first of all, I hope that you have found a school community that accepts your expertise and is willing to work with you to help all students have a more enriched learning experience.  Second, I hope that you are on your way to earning formal recognition for yourself and your school, including grants, awards and competitions.  Third, I expect you to keep up on the latest in both general and gifted education through reading books, journals, and being and active part of Giftedland.  And finally I hope that you become a respected expert that others can turn to for both valuable help and sage advice, or even just a shoulder to lean on as you have found willing teachers in your life that have helped you. 

Good luck and God bless you in your chosen career! 

Sincerely,

Shannon M. Turner, M.Ed., AIG Specialist

About Me

Recently, I have completed the requirements for becoming an AIG Specialist through a one-year certification program at East Carolina University.  It was a very busy year working and completing course work and research projects at night and finally creating and teaching an AIG unit with my graduate partner who is now my absolute best friend!  I look forward to using everything I learned that year and more to provide enrichiment and differentiated curriculum for students. 

I attended North Carolina State University as an MAT graduate student.  From my very first class with Dr. Carol Pope, I was hooked on English/Language Arts education.  My final class on campus with Dr. Candy Beal helped me to define the purpose as well as the means of adolecent education. 

Proudly, I completed my Master's degree is in Middle Grades Language Arts on December 17, 2011.  This means that I have participated sucessfully in post-graduate courses specifically focused on adolescent learning and language arts content as well as met the requirements for a North Carolina teacher certification.

My final semester, I was lucky enough to be placed with veteran teacher, Karen Craig, at Wendell Middle School (WMS).  Through this mentoring relationship, I learned the importance of rules before fun and how a well-managed class room should look and act.  During my student teaching experience, I attended professional leadership teams (PLTs) and had the opportunity to collaborate with fellow Language Arts teachers including WMS's Literacy Coach, Sharon Little.  We created and shared many Language Arts lessons and materials, as well as discussed school data. 

Other educational milestones:

• Completion of the requirements for Academically and Intellectually Gifted Specialist
• Completion of the requirements for High School English (9th grade only) teacher certification in North Carolina (10-12 pending examination)
• Completion of the requirements for Middle Grades Social Studies teacher certification in North Carolina
• Graduation from Meredith College Paralegal Program with a focus on Corporations
• Graduation from North Carolina State University with a degree in Psychology and minor in Business Management

Content Areas

Middle School Language Arts

This is the focus of my Master's Degree at NCSU.  This is where I hope to put my skills, knowledge, abilities and other qualifications to work helping students understand, build, and use language arts in school and in their daily lives. 

Example Language Arts Classwork Online

Middle School Social Studies

During the summer, I passed the PRAXIS II exam for Social Studies.  But, I have always had a strong interest in world events, history, and teaching both in order to help students understand how to be a good citizen both in and out of the classroom. 

High School English (9th grade only at this time)

Because of my love of the English language, I have more than 24 hours of undergraduate classes in English. In addition, I have a very strong background in reading, writing, and using modern technologies to communicate ideas.  I am scheduled to take the PRAXIS II so that I will be certified for all high school grades. 

Exceptional Child Specialist (focus on Twice Exceptional students)

Because of my personal experience with giftedness and disability, I have begun working with Exceptional Children.  I have experience in the adaptive classroom, as well as academic support for children with various disabilities.  Pending testing and renewal of license in North Carolina, I will be certified in both Mild to Moderate and Severe to Profound applications.