Image of Ms. Stewart

Shantel Walker

Teacher

Bachelor’s Degree, Elementary Education K–6, University of
South Florida

Shantel Walker started teaching in 2013 and joined Coastal Connections Academy in 2021. She currently teaches fifth-grade science, math, language arts, and social studies. She previously taught second and third grade and served as a Reading Coach for three years.

Why I Became a Teacher

My first-grade teacher really embodied what I wanted to be. She truly cared about us and took pride in what she did each day. I wanted to help others and to show students that education is a stepping stone to whatever they hope to achieve in life.

The Online School Experience at Coastal Connections Academy

I love the atmosphere and environment we have created, with a culture of sharing and working together. Even though we’re an online school, I still feel like I have the opportunity to get to know my students. One benefit of teaching at an online school versus a bricks-and-mortar traditional school is the flexibility I’m able to offer my students. We are not bound to the constraints of time as we would be in a bricks-and-mortar school.

I am always in contact with my students and strive to push them to high expectations. I encourage them by holding extra help sessions and prompting them to explain their thinking to each other. I also try to incorporate social times at the end of LiveLesson® sessions so they can talk with each other and still have that interaction. I am also starting Fun Friday sessions to encourage interactions.

“I want to show students that education is a stepping stone to whatever they hope to achieve in life.”

— Ms. Walker