Spotlight
Shantele Raper, Director of Curriculum and Special Projects, at the Osceola School District admits, “The most challenging part of my job is the same as the most interesting: there is always something new to learn. I don’t think we ever master any one area before something new comes around.”
Looking back over the last year, one that’s changed how most professions operate, Shantele Raper, Director of Curriculum and Special Projects in the Osceloa School District, thinks 2020 isn’t something administrators can’t handle. “The year of 2020 has definitely made us rethink our practices,” she states. “As I think about our instructional practices as we move into a new year, there are opportunities for us to make positive changes for our students. Technology advances are evident and coming faster than normal, but I have no doubt that teachers can embrace these changes to support student learning.” Early on, one of her first career choices was in the transportation industry, in which she worked while she attended college part time. Had Shantele followed her next career choice, she would have been handling the pandemic in the area of business technology. However, she began to realize that education may be a better place to find work/life balance. “After completing a bachelors degree in business administration, I realized a change of career towards education was better suited for my family life and my desire to help others,” she recalls. “I continued to pursue a masters in business education and began teaching at Osceola School District where I remain today.” Eventually, she transitioned in to teaching by becoming a Career and Technical Educator. “I am very thankful for all of my previous work experience, as it has served as a great foundation for all of my jobs in education,” she said. Throughout her time in education, Shantele has served as the president of the Arkansas Association of Career and Technical Administrators (AACTEA) and the Arkansas Career Guidance Association. Currently, she is both the president of Arkansas Association of Federal Coordinators (AAFC) and the NE Region Director of AACTEA. After such an accomplished career, Shantele hopes her colleagues remember how important she thought it was to tell people how they’d influenced your life. “The people I admire the most are those who are genuinely concerned about others and their well being,” she explains. “My mother passed away over 20 years ago, and people still have stories how she would do anything to help them. For me, that is enough.” Continued on next page August 2020
3
