Editors note: Math teacher Sarah Shannon was named Wayne Township Teacher of the Year on May 2. The following story originally appeared when Shannon was named Ben Davis Teacher of the Year in March. Shannon will now represent Wayne Township for Indiana Teacher of the Year. 

 Here at Ben Davis, we have many exceptional teachers who dedicate their time to educating the future. Every year, there is a “Teacher of the Year” award to honor the teacher that stood out and made the biggest impact that year. This year, the award went to math teacher Sarah Shannon, who has been teaching at Ben Davis for 12 years.

Shannon has taught a variety of math subjects, including Algebra 1 and 2, Pre-Calculus/Trigonometry, and college Algebra. She also currently teaches AVID.

Shannon has always had a passion for teaching, even from a young age. She was inspired by her high school math teacher, Mr. Leonard.

“I was never naturally gifted at math, but Mr. Leonard was able to explain concepts in a way that made sense to me,” Shannon said. “I realized that I wanted to do that for other students.”

Shannon is known for being amicable to both her co-workers and students.  Getting to learn and interact with her students is an important part of her day.

“I love being able to be part of [the students’] daily lives and getting to know them on a more personal level,” she said. “I love that each student is different and has such a different, unique personality.”

She is also involved with different school activities and functions, which has given her the opportunity to interact with many different people. She also tries to collaborate and help teachers in her department.

Shannon is also very close with her AVID students, who are seniors this year. She had the opportunity to go on a trip to Costa Rica with some of her students for Spring Break.

“We spent the last year planning and fundraising.  It wasn’t easy but it was definitely worth it. We had an amazing time,” Shannon said.

Shannon, who is very honored to have won this award, dedicates her success to the teachers and students. She appreciates knowing that other teachers think she is doing great things in her classroom. She also believes her students played a big role in motivating her to best the best teacher she can be.

“As a teacher, you don’t get the opportunity to visit other teachers’ classrooms very often, but the students will tell you about their classroom experiences, both good and bad,” she said. “I think a lot of other teachers have an idea of what my classroom is like based on what my students say.”