Ja'Lyric Giddens-Gonzales
Team Leader
| Hello Shafer Elementary Family! My name is Ja’Lyric Giddens González, and I am overjoyed to begin my 4th year of teaching at Shafer Elementary. This is my second year at Shafer and I will be teaching Writing and Social Studies. I graduated from Houston Baptist University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and from Johns Hopkins University with a master’s degree in Education. I just completed my principal certification program at Lamar University as well. Just like your students, I am committed to being a life-long learner. In my classroom, everyone is welcome, everyone is loved and everyone can accomplish anything! In my free time, I love to spend time with my family. I live with my husband, Kevin, my parents and my grandma. We watch a ton of movies! My three older sisters have blessed me with 5 nieces and nephews, they are my little rays of sunlight. I also enjoy anything related to singing and dancing. I am diligently working on reading and collecting all of James Patterson’s books. I am improving my baking skills and I love cooking new recipes. I am looking forward to a wonderful school year of learning and growing with you and your shining Silver Knights!
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Susan Cordell
| Hi! I’m Susan Cordell and this will be my third year at Shafer Elementary. Prior to Shafer, I was a teacher in another local district for 10 years. I started my teaching career in California and taught middle school math, science, reading/writing, social studies, and physical education. I attended several universities in California where I obtained my B.A. in Communications, Masters in Education, and my Administrative Certification.
I love working with students and 5th grade is such a wonderful year to witness the academic growth the students make. I strive to provide a safe and fun learning environment where they feel comfortable to make mistakes. I absolutely love to read and share what I have learned with my students; they are a great inspiration for my own learning! In my free time, other than reading, I love to travel and hang out with family and friends. I have three cats that make me laugh all the time and are very entertaining! I am so excited to start this year with our new 5th graders!
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Alison Evans
| Howdy! My name is Alison Evans, and I am so excited to begin my 3rd year of teaching at Shafer Elementary. This is my first year teaching 5th grade, as I taught 3rd grade the previous two years. I graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor's of Science in Health. My ultimate goal as a teacher is for your student to feel safe, loved, and successful. In my free time, I love to watch movies, watch sports and spend time with my family. I have been married to Mr. Evans for 16 years and we have three amazing kids. I can’t wait to be your child’s 5th grade teacher!
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Melissa Evans
| Hi! My name is Melissa Evans, and I am so excited to begin my 5th year of teaching at Shafer Elementary. I have worked in the Special Education and ESL departments for elementary and high school. I have also taught Kindergarten for 4 years at Shafer Elementary. I cannot wait to start my 1st year teaching 5th grade. I graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor's degree in Maritime Administration! In my MARVELous classroom, I strive to foster a love for reading and books while creating an environment where students feel safe, loved, and successful. In my free time, I enjoy traveling, going to the movies, and relaxing at the beach. I especially love spending time with my family. I have a wonderful husband Lonnie and 2 amazing kids, Emily and Andrew. I am looking forward to a wonderful school year with you and your SUPER 5th graders!
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Brook La More
| Howdy! My name is Brooke La More, and I am so excited to start my 4th year here at Shafer. I graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies. I love teaching reading and always strive to foster a love of reading in my students. I love to create a comfortable learning environment for my students where they can be themselves and be successful. In my free time, I love reading, hanging out with my friends and family, and playing with my cat, Stella. I also enjoy music and enjoy playing or listening whenever I can. I am so excited for this year and I cannot wait to meet all my amazing students!
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Sara Love
| Hello! My name is Sara Love, and I cannot wait to begin my 2nd year of teaching. This is my first year here at Shafer Elementary and my first year teaching 5th grade. I graduated from Texas A&M University (whoop!) with a Bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies! In my classroom, I strive to create a warm and welcoming environment where students feel safe, loved, and successful. My goal is to foster a love for math and lifelong learning in my students. Outside of school, I love to try new foods, travel, read, and play with my two sweet cats, Remy and Frankie. I also enjoy getting coffee and spending time with my family and friends. I am looking forward to a wonderful school year with you and your sweet child in 5th grade!
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Kathy Sutton
| Hi! My name is Kathy Sutton, and I cannot wait to begin my second year of teaching 5th grade Science at Shafer Elementary. I graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Anthropology/Sociology. I also received my Juris Doctor degree from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center in Baton Rouge, LA. Geaux Tigers!! I love spending time getting to know my students. It is important to me that all of my students feel wanted, welcome and safe in my classroom. We will be doing a lot of hands-on lab work in Science this year and I want all of my students to feel comfortable and confident trying new things. When I am not at school, I love to spend time with my two daughters, Zoe (11th grade) and Madison (8th grade). We have two miniature Dachshunds named Lexie and Charlie. I also love to go to the movies, concerts, read and cook. I recently took on a new hobby and have fallen in love with watercolor painting. I can’t wait to meet all of my students and I know we are going to have a great year!
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Christopher Whiteley
| Greetings! My name is Christopher Whiteley, and I cannot wait to begin my 7th year of teaching at Shafer Elementary. I have taught Reading and Writing in 3rd and 4th grade, but this will be my first year teaching writing for 5th grade! I graduated from Abilene Christian University in 2007 and began teaching in a classroom setting in 2013. I love having fun when I teach and giving my students reasons to want to be here. I love coming up with creative ways to teach lessons so that they feel connected to what I say. Creating relationships with my students every year is one of the things I look forward to the most! If they leave my classroom every day with a smile on their face and the knowledge that I want to see them again tomorrow, then I know I’ve done my job! I am married to a wonderful woman, Siera, who works in the front office at Shafer! Between the two of us, we have 5 children and we love spending every moment with them! In my free time, I love to attend sporting events and watch movies with my family. I also enjoy going to the batting cages every now and then. One of my favorite vacation spots to go to is Disneyworld. I also enjoy snow skiing and running. I am looking forward to an incredible school year and working with our amazing Shafer 5th grade students!
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