Shanna Peeples, is now a graduate student at the Harvard School of Education. She was a high school English teacher from Amarillo, Texas, and was named the 2015 National Teacher of the Year.  Peeples taught AP English at Palo Duro High School, where she served as the English department chair as well as an instructional coach for other teachers.

In this Talks with Teachers episode you will learn:

How Shanna took a circuitous route to the classroom. She worked as a disc jockey, medical assistant, pet sitter and journalist before teaching
Shanna's education background. How she earned an Associate’s degree from Amarillo College, a Bachelor of Arts from West Texas A&M University and a Master of Education from the University of Texas at Arlington.
The way in which Shanna connected literature to her students' lives. While at Palo Duro High School, Peeples' students came from many different backgrounds. Amarillo is one of several cities in the United States that helps refugees find new paths in life and gain access to critical resources. As a result, Peeples worked with many students who speak English as a second language or recently entered the United States from another country.
How Jim Carey influenced Shanna's career trajectory and how she incorporated this lesson into the classroom
The way in which Shanna incorporate reading into her daily life.
How she planned her units and developed her lesson plans.
The influence Sherman Alexie had on her teaching.
The book she recommends to teachers:

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