Assistant English Director
Sheila came to LTF in 2008 after personally experiencing LTF training seven years earlier, when her school district at the time offered the training. Of her experience in the classroom after training, she recalls, “LTF totally transformed my teaching philosophies and practices. I saw concrete results in my students’ ability to think critically, read with better understanding, and write analytically.” So, when the opportunity to join the LTF staff arose, she gladly joined with the hope of helping other teachers have a similarly transformative experience.
Sheila values the opportunity to exercise her creativity as she develops effective lessons for the trainings, and also enjoys sharing her personal experiences with other teachers during trainings she leads. She says her most meaningful contribution since joining LTF is her extensive work on the English training modules: “I always want teachers to leave training sessions with lessons that are relevant and easily adapted for their classes.” When asked how her personal teaching philosophy aligns with her work at LTF, Sheila first says it’s important to “make the difficult look easy: LTF Pre-AP lessons are structured so that teachers are able to lead students step by step through the thinking processes necessary for students to be able to read, understand, and analyze complex texts, and then write about them.” Second, both she and LTF aim to “raise expectations for students, challenge them, and present many opportunities for intellectual growth.”
After earning a BBA in Marketing, Sheila completed post-baccalaureate classes in English and education and has continued to take graduate classes in English. She taught English for 18 years in Wichita Falls ISD, including AP Literature and Composition and Pre-AP English I. While at WFISD, Sheila also served as an AP Leader English teacher for four years, a master presenter for six years, and a member of the WFISD Curriculum Development Committee. Additionally, she served on the Texas Testing Report Committee (Pearson) in 2003 and 2006 to review the 9th grade TAKS reading test.