Shawna Davenport
Northridge Middle School · Middlebury, IN
English Language Arts Teacher, 7th grade
Years teaching: 27
My favorite Action stories to teach are :“Frozen Dreams,” “Roberto the Great,” “The Man Who Has Saved Millions,” and “From Out of this World. . .to Under the Sea” because these stories teach about “unsung heroes” who did not get the credit they deserved. My students are inspired by these true stories each year and feel passionate about discovering other people who weren’t given credit at the time for their contributions to society because of their gender, race, cultural background, or religious beliefs.
The best part about being a teacher is: when students have those “aha!” moments and have to dig deeper to really analyze information in their reading and writing, personal beliefs, and perspectives, and they find out they can agree to disagree in a respectful manner.
Favorite hobbies: I love to kayak and walk or bike nature trails. I’m an avid reader, and I love to knit and gourmet cook.