Shawna James

Shawna James received her Master’s Degree in K-12 Administration and Educational Leadership from California University of Pennsylvania in 2014. Prior to this achievement, she earned her B.S. in Elementary and Kindergarten Education from The Pennsylvania State University in 2012 where she was selected for the Professional Development School for student teachers. She is currently teaching third grade at Lakenheath Elementary School, DoDEA Europe West.

A strong advocate for hands-on, inquiry-based learning, she involves her students in a variety of community service, problem-solving, and technology infused activities that provide them with the opportunity to use their critical thinking skills to help others. Her professional interests focus on democratic classrooms, infusing student choice into reading and writing programs, and fostering a positive classroom environment centered on the notion of having a growth mindset.

Her current projects include collaboration with her team in raising awareness and funds for the Lakenheath Elementary Guide Dogs, bridging the communication gap between home and school via her creation of a classroom Google Site, and lending expertise to staff members on the CAFÉ and Daily Five programs through use of visual reading tools. In addition, she serves on the Writing Cadre at Lakenheath Elementary where she evaluates student writing in grades K-3 and on the Math Night committee where she creates various math stations to support the CCRSM standards. She was recently selected as DoDEA District Teacher of the Year for Europe West.