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 Mike Shannon has been a part of Cunningham Children’s Home for over 15 years. When he left the residential program to move to Circle Academy, Mike went as an “educator at heart.”
Whether he is serving as a sub, a classroom teacher’s assistant, or a long term substitute teacher, Mike has one intrinsic philosophy; “We are a school and we have a responsibility to educate these kids.”
The words of Mike Shannon echo the halls of Circle Academy as you can hear him saying, “Now, I know….” and then he’ll talk about how the behaviors of our students can get in the way of their learning. But, he’ll also explain, with that wonderful smile on his face, how we have to “circle” around the students and work to build trusting relationships that will help them be successful in all the quadrants of the Circle of Courage.
Mike will talk to you about the importance of having high expectations for our students. He will say, “They can do it.” Mike’s voice reminds us all that, our students can achieve.”
Mike’s words articulate excellence. Mike’s work exemplifies excellence in action. At every position, Mike has always been ready. Ready to greet the students at the door on a daily basis, challenge their knowledge, expose them to new information, give them a hug when they need it, help them move through crisis moments, model the appropriate, expected behavior and always be ready to be a part of the solution – the program – the village.
When you walk into a classroom where Mike is working, you will witness minds at work. The students are challenged to use higher order processing skills as they engage in activities that range from participating in a game of chess, to participating in a group discussion on an academic or social skills topic.
In his current position, as a long term substitute teacher, Mike goes above and beyond the expectation to provide a high quality classroom experience for the students. Mike chooses to be involved with every aspect of the job including writing the draft of the student’s annual IEP and leading the IEP meetings.
Mike Shannon strives to bring quality, meaningful education opportunities to his students so each youth may have the opportunity and knowledge to reach their highest individual potential.
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