A little bit about me...
My name is Shannon Umberger. I started working at Bill Roberts as a Paraprofessional in 2007. I completed my teaching degree in December of 2009 and began working as a long term sub within a few months. This will be my sixth year teaching second grade math, science and social studies. I LOVE teaching these subjects as I find them to be very hands on and exciting! My classroom is very interactive and group-oriented to invite students to learn together.
I am married to my husband Zane and together we have three beautiful children! Alexis is 8, Anya is 6 and Zander is 4. They keep us busy, but also keep us very happy! I am blessed to say that they all attend Bill Roberts as of this year and we are so grateful to be here! We also have two cats named Riley and Mac. I have a service dog named Rowena. She is with me all the time, including while I am at work! She does a lot of things for me including picking things up off the floor, helping me stretch and exercise, going for help if I fall out of my wheelchair, getting the phone in case I need to call for help, opening closing doors, pushing buttons and more!
I try to make my classroom a place where I would want my own children to be. Teaching is something I truly love, and I hope all my students are just as excited about going to school everyday as I am!
I am married to my husband Zane and together we have three beautiful children! Alexis is 8, Anya is 6 and Zander is 4. They keep us busy, but also keep us very happy! I am blessed to say that they all attend Bill Roberts as of this year and we are so grateful to be here! We also have two cats named Riley and Mac. I have a service dog named Rowena. She is with me all the time, including while I am at work! She does a lot of things for me including picking things up off the floor, helping me stretch and exercise, going for help if I fall out of my wheelchair, getting the phone in case I need to call for help, opening closing doors, pushing buttons and more!
I try to make my classroom a place where I would want my own children to be. Teaching is something I truly love, and I hope all my students are just as excited about going to school everyday as I am!
My Teaching Philosophy
To capture and write my teaching philosophy is a difficult task as I find that my teaching is an ever evolving compilation of ideas, experiences, and knowledge. Each day brings new and exciting challenges and achievements. I want my students to leave my classroom having acquired problem solving strategies and skills necessary to be life-long learners. My role as an educator is to facilitate learning and to create an environment where students feel safe enough to explore their dreams. Teaching is not a responsibility that I take lightly, learning is a process that is not only exciting but is tangible for every student.
"We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself."
~Lloyd Alexander
I believe this statement to be true; it is the experiences we have in life that help us learn! If you can teach a child the art of learning and the skills to apply them to all areas of their lives everything else will come in time. When they make connections between what they are thinking about, curious about, and their lives- learning comes naturally. I don't remember much from my elementary school days, but the things I do remember were the opportunities we got to be creative and be inventive. One thing that comes to mind is when my second grade teacher would let us try 'formulas' to get the right answers on Math problems using our own methods. As a learner I like to be given some sort of structure, but then the opportunity to explore and create within those guidelines.
My success as a teacher is not measured by tests or numbers; it is measured by whether or not I make a difference in each one of my students' lives. I can't think of one teacher I would call 'exceptional' in all my years of schooling. In fact, it is because of that I decided to become a teacher. My second grade teacher provided opportunities for me to learn, but didn't give me feedback or connect with me emotionally the way that I longed for. If I help my students realize that they are valuable and they can achieve anything they are committed to, then they will be successful. I think the teacher-student relationship is such an important part of learning. My mom taught me a lot of what I know at home. In fact, she was one of my inspirations for being a teacher! She didn't want me to go into the teaching field because of 'the lack of respect' as she puts it. But sometimes you just can't help what you feel inside! I knew from the moment my brother was in 3rd grade and couldn't do multiplication, that I wanted to be a teacher. I would sit and hold 'class' in my bedroom every night helping him recite facts and teach him shortcuts that I had figured out and give him assignments to help. It just came naturally and I loved it!
When I was 15, I was involved in a car accident which left me paralyzed. I was devastated and gave up on my dream of teaching. I would always ask myself "Who has ever seen a teacher in a wheelchair?" I hadn't, so I thought it was impossible. I dropped out of high school because of constant embarrassment from classmates and fell into a deep depression. My family and I moved to Colorado in hopes that attitudes here would be more supportive then those in Utah (due to the fact that Craig Hospital is here and wheelchairs might be more common). An amazing man, who is now my husband, followed me and we later married. At the age of 19, I entered Colorado's Finest Alternative High School because I knew that at some point I would have to have a job to help provide for myself. I had a counselor that asked what I wanted to do with my life. My response was: "Well, I always wanted to be a teacher...but as you can see that isn't a possibility anymore. So I'm not really sure." He looked straight at me and asked "Why not?" Unsure of what to say I just sat there stared at my legs and said "Well, you know, the chair and all..." We had a long conversation about what determines limitations and by the next day I was in a Teacher Cadet course offered through a local college. I got the opportunity to go into a 4th grade classroom everyday and help teach Social Studies. And it was the most amazing year of my life! I learned that there is nothing a person can't accomplish when they have the desire to accomplish it. And that is one thing I always strive to teach and show my students.
I live for the moments when a student finally understands and achieves something they thought wasn't possible. Those 'ah-hah' moments when a students face lights up and a smile appears on a face, that only moments ago, thought the present was unattainable are what makes teaching the most rewarding profession I could ever imagine. Creating an interactive environment where students share their ideas and help each other learn is the basis of all my teaching. I know I still have a lot to learn, but my willingness to learn will always help me be successful. As I strive to help students that may not be proficient in English, I think of the quote by Mark Twain, "Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." As my teaching career progresses I always try to remember ways that help me learn, but also think of students that might have other learning styles. There is not one way to learn and understand material, which is why there is never one right way of teaching it.
"We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself."
~Lloyd Alexander
I believe this statement to be true; it is the experiences we have in life that help us learn! If you can teach a child the art of learning and the skills to apply them to all areas of their lives everything else will come in time. When they make connections between what they are thinking about, curious about, and their lives- learning comes naturally. I don't remember much from my elementary school days, but the things I do remember were the opportunities we got to be creative and be inventive. One thing that comes to mind is when my second grade teacher would let us try 'formulas' to get the right answers on Math problems using our own methods. As a learner I like to be given some sort of structure, but then the opportunity to explore and create within those guidelines.
My success as a teacher is not measured by tests or numbers; it is measured by whether or not I make a difference in each one of my students' lives. I can't think of one teacher I would call 'exceptional' in all my years of schooling. In fact, it is because of that I decided to become a teacher. My second grade teacher provided opportunities for me to learn, but didn't give me feedback or connect with me emotionally the way that I longed for. If I help my students realize that they are valuable and they can achieve anything they are committed to, then they will be successful. I think the teacher-student relationship is such an important part of learning. My mom taught me a lot of what I know at home. In fact, she was one of my inspirations for being a teacher! She didn't want me to go into the teaching field because of 'the lack of respect' as she puts it. But sometimes you just can't help what you feel inside! I knew from the moment my brother was in 3rd grade and couldn't do multiplication, that I wanted to be a teacher. I would sit and hold 'class' in my bedroom every night helping him recite facts and teach him shortcuts that I had figured out and give him assignments to help. It just came naturally and I loved it!
When I was 15, I was involved in a car accident which left me paralyzed. I was devastated and gave up on my dream of teaching. I would always ask myself "Who has ever seen a teacher in a wheelchair?" I hadn't, so I thought it was impossible. I dropped out of high school because of constant embarrassment from classmates and fell into a deep depression. My family and I moved to Colorado in hopes that attitudes here would be more supportive then those in Utah (due to the fact that Craig Hospital is here and wheelchairs might be more common). An amazing man, who is now my husband, followed me and we later married. At the age of 19, I entered Colorado's Finest Alternative High School because I knew that at some point I would have to have a job to help provide for myself. I had a counselor that asked what I wanted to do with my life. My response was: "Well, I always wanted to be a teacher...but as you can see that isn't a possibility anymore. So I'm not really sure." He looked straight at me and asked "Why not?" Unsure of what to say I just sat there stared at my legs and said "Well, you know, the chair and all..." We had a long conversation about what determines limitations and by the next day I was in a Teacher Cadet course offered through a local college. I got the opportunity to go into a 4th grade classroom everyday and help teach Social Studies. And it was the most amazing year of my life! I learned that there is nothing a person can't accomplish when they have the desire to accomplish it. And that is one thing I always strive to teach and show my students.
I live for the moments when a student finally understands and achieves something they thought wasn't possible. Those 'ah-hah' moments when a students face lights up and a smile appears on a face, that only moments ago, thought the present was unattainable are what makes teaching the most rewarding profession I could ever imagine. Creating an interactive environment where students share their ideas and help each other learn is the basis of all my teaching. I know I still have a lot to learn, but my willingness to learn will always help me be successful. As I strive to help students that may not be proficient in English, I think of the quote by Mark Twain, "Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." As my teaching career progresses I always try to remember ways that help me learn, but also think of students that might have other learning styles. There is not one way to learn and understand material, which is why there is never one right way of teaching it.