TEACHER OF THE MONTH
Alexa Shanafelt BY COLIN ANDERSON
It’s Alexa’s goal to create an environment that encourages students to step outside of their daily routines and comfort zones.
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lexa Shanafelt has experienced it all, from kindergarteners learning their very first lessons to high school seniors finishing up their very last test. Alexa just wrapped up her 19th year in teaching and has tackled each and every grade, k through 12. She was most recently at Kopachuck Middle School teaching sixth, seventh and eighth graders Spanish, multimedia productions and yearbook and never tires of watching the lights go off inside her students' heads. “The most rewarding moment in teaching is when a student has an 'a-ha' moment. A Spanish professor of mine called it 'ahando.' It's when someone all of a sudden gets it and usually exclaims that they did. That always makes me grin,” said Alexa. No matter what the age or subject, it’s Alexa’s goal to create an environment that encourages students to step outside of their daily routines and comfort zones by experiencing a new idea or completing a task they are timid about. “It can be scary, but you should try to speak in Spanish with a native speaker, publish that article, write that song. The best learning is done when you push yourself and try something that challenges you,” she said. Alexa is on her way to practicing what she preaches by stepping out of the comforts
of small-town Western Washington and embarking on a new journey. Having sold her family’s four-bedroom home and the majority of their belongings, Alexa, along with her husband, adult kid and two teenagers spent a year living on a 46-foot boat in the harbor in preparation for a yearlong trip. Before she hits 20 years as an educator, Alexa is taking a year off and the Shanafelts are casting off in MidJuly to sail down the Pacific Coast on their way to several stops in Mexico. Also coming aboard Noeta is the family’s properly named voyaging cat, Gilligan. During the yearlong trip, Alexa will be ‘boat schooling’ and ‘world schooling’ not just her teenagers but herself as well as they look to explore the unique cultures and geography of Mexico. While it will be difficult being away from students, friends and co-workers, Alexa is more than excited to be stepping way out of her comfort zone in search of even more knowledge and learning. “One of the best things about teaching is the community of friends I have made over the years,” Alexa said. “All of my closest friends are wonderful educators and a true gift to kids and our community.” If you would like to follow the family’s yearlong adventure, you can visit their blog online at mvNoeta.com.
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Thank you to our local teachers
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