Carly Shonkwiler has spent 13 years at Heritage Elementary School in Homer, the last four as its Title I Reading teacher.
“She is always willing to go the extra 100 miles it takes to get some kids motivated,” Principal Kristi Sanders said. “She gets along with her peers and her students and is also a teacher who will go far above and beyond for both peers and parents. Our student reading scores have risen, and this is in large part due to the work Carly does.”
I find my work important because ... as a teacher, you teach children so many things in effort to help them have successful lives. Of course you teach academics, but you also teach many other things that are so important, like kindness, empathy, self-worth, effective communication, and how to be a contributing member to society.
I became a teacher because ... I have always loved working with kids and seeing the excitement and joy they feel, whether it be about everyday things in life, learning something new or accomplishing something. They are so curious about things, and I want to help them learn, and to love learning, so they continue to do so on their own as they move forward in life.
My favorite or most unique lesson that I teach is ... using Elkonin boxes to teach students to read words. The students love this activity because they use manipulatives and dry-erase markers. Before we use the boxes, we always have a quick chat to go over the routine and remind ourselves that we are mapping words in our brains. They get very excited about doing this, especially when they begin to see positive results.
My most fulfilling moments on the job are when ... students achieve something they didn’t think they could. It is one of the best feelings to see the look on students’ faces when they realize they have reached a goal or worked through something challenging that they didn’t believe they could do. Sometimes kids don’t believe in themselves and don’t think anyone else believes in them either. As a teacher, I think one of my most important jobs is believing in my students and helping them learn to believe in themselves. I don’t ever want them to be afraid to try; I want them to keep trying until they get it.
I keep students engaged by … letting them know I am glad to see them, giving them manipulatives, interactive activity mats and whiteboards to use when possible, and sometimes letting them have a choice in how we practice or review something. Lots of encouragement and positive feedback seem to help too!
Something else I’m passionate about is ... besides spending time with my family, I love to read. I don’t enjoy reading from a screen as much, so I always have a book close by so I can read when I have the chance.
My favorite teacher and subject to study in school were ... well, I was lucky enough to have several influential teachers in my life in Bement schools. Mrs. Day in fourth grade, Mrs. Taylor for junior-high English/language arts, Ms. Sharp for high school English, and Mr. Taylor for high school business classes all had a significant impact on me. I learned more than content in their classrooms. Each had high expectations, and achieving something in their classrooms was gratifying.
If I weren’t a teacher, I would be ... a librarian, and I would have read-aloud story time every day.
— ANTHONY ZILIS