NAME:
Frances Shaneyfelt
SCHOOL:
Brandon Middle School
CLASS:
Physical Science
SCHOOL PHONE:
(757) 648-4450
I am the mother of six sons. Four of them have graduated from various
Virgina colleges or universities, namely, The College of William and Mary,
Virginia Tech (2), and Longwood. They are all married and their wives also
graduated from The College of William and Mary, Virginia Tech (2), and Mary
Baldwin. I have two sons at Tidewater Community College. In addition,
there are ten grandchildren, five boys and five girls. Family dinners are
an absolute blast!!!
My undergraduate work was in Secondary Science Education (biology,
chemistry, and physics) at the University of Toledo in Ohio. My
graduate work was in Elementary Education and Earth and Space Science
(double major) at West Chester State University in Pennsylvania. I
have over fifty hours in post graduate course work in earth science,
physics, chemistry, and mathematics through Old Dominion University, Regent
University, George Washington University, Villanova University, and
University of Virginia.
This is my thirtieth year of teaching young people and I still
enjoy what I do. I have been chosen Science Teacher of the Year by
the Tidewater Association of Science Educators and I have been honored by
the Virginia Association of Science Teachers as the Earth Science
Teacher of the Year. I was given the very great honor of being Brandon's
Teacher of the Year for 2003-2004. I am very proud of this and at the same
time I am most humble since there are so many wonderful teachers here at
Brandon. This recognition by my colleagues makes it all the more imperative
for me to be the best teacher I can be. I was also selected for Who's Who
Among America's Teachers for 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007.
I believe it is more important to teach my students how to find answers and
solve problems than it is for me to give them the answers and solutions.
Because of this, I think my calling is the most important one a person could
ever have. In the words of Christa McAuliffe, "I touch the future; I
teach."
I also believe that it is very important that students learn to work with
others. In the future they may be in situations in which they must problem
solve with people whom they do not know or who may have a very different
philosophy of life. It is important to learn to respect and accept
differences. It is important to be able to get along with others and to
help others without expecting anything in return. The best way to do this
is to "pay it forward." This is what I believe and this is what I try to do
in my life.
I am committed to providing within my classroom a place where there
is mutual trust and respect. I am dedicated to ensure that my
students reach their potential by providing the opportunity for them
to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to fulfill their roles in
a global society. I expect my students to be honest, work hard, and take
responsibility for their actions. I ask the help and support of the parents
and guardians of my students to help fulfill this mission. The words spoken
by Gene Kranz in the movie "Apollo 13" are posted in my classroom and I
encourage my students to remember that "Failure is not an option."
