Karen Shepherd, Secondary Teacher of the Year
for Plano ISD, Region 10 and the State of Texas!

		Awards and Ratings Student Awards Faculty/Staff Awards Teachers of the Year District AEIS Data & Campus Performance State Accountability Ratings National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence

Plano Senior High School
Science Department Chair
AP Biology and Science
Research Teacher, LASER Club Sponsor

Philosophy of Teaching
Educational/Professional Background
Awards and Honors
Community Outreach
School Principals' Recommendation
State Teacher of the Year (News Article)
TSTA Magazine Article (208k)

Philosophy of Teaching

You'd think that 16 years in education would have taught me just about all there was to know about students and learning. In 2000, however, a brief encounter at the International Science Fair, the pinnacle of competition for our science students, taught me a powerful lesson, one that has in the last four years made an impact on my classroom and my interactions with students.

We were riding in the same bus with students from all over the country as we went from the airport to the hotel. As my students disembarked, I made a point to say something to each one such as "Have a great night" and "You have earned it." When all my students received their personal message, a student from another state stopped and yelled, "What about me?" After looking at him for a second, I quickly created new words of encouragement for the remainder of these future scientists. Later, I learned that this young man was Harvard bound, yet even for someone so completely self-motivated, the words of a teacher held tremendous power. All learners whether Harvard bound or workforce bound share a common need. A teacher's positive words are salve for the soul.

Finding the right words to encourage a student is but one step in creating powerful, lasting learning. Effective teachers know that truly successful classrooms occur not only when they teach from the mind but also from the heart. Those teachers become counselors, mentors, and even gurus to their students. If you want students to care about learning, they must know in their hearts you care for them. Given mutual respect and concern, students believe that they can master anything. My students are much more willing to perform and excel because they know "Shep" is always ready to help.

Advanced Placement Biology II students (l-r) Matt Friedman, Aesha Patel and Dennis Ruder receive pointers from Teacher Karen Shepherd during a classroom exercise on cell theory. "She's one of the best teachers I've ever had," said Matt. "Even if the subject is a bore, she makes it interesting."

A student confided last year that she would have given up on scientific research if not for my pushing and prodding her with both a firm hand and a loving heart. When she was awarded first grand prize at a state level competition, the smile on her face illuminated the room reminding me of how much students gain from being challenged in a loving, positive way. She informed me that from her cultural background, she considered me her guru, an honor bestowed upon a select few, and one that left me honored and humbled.

Students who are encouraged by teachers with a passion for learning and for the students they teach, dream bigger dreams and set higher goals. As sponsor of the district's LASER (Learning About Science and Engineering Research) program since its inception 16 years ago, I have had the honor of mentoring and nurturing hundreds of young scientists. Students at regional, state and international level clearly have been blessed with teachers who share a common goal for students: Excellence. Teachers who return with students year after year ignite a true passion for science research by bringing uncontainable enthusiasm and optimism to their classrooms.

Advanced Placement level students as well as at-risk students need a learning environment where the teacher smiles, complements, encourages, and challenges them. Enthusiasm is contagious! Singing, dancing, and even crying with my students helps keep them engaged in the learning process. The result is a place where they can take risks and soar. When asked what made my class special, a student responded"the energy, of course!" It is part of human nature to crave a haven where positive energy and acceptance are always available.

I am a life-long learner who encourages my students to adopt this philosophy. In science this is a matter of survival because they will compete in an ever-changing technologically advanced world. Knowing WHERE to find answers, knowing HOW to perform research, and recognizing WHAT is fact or fiction are all vital skills necessary for success in the real world. Facts students learn in class may become out-dated, but if the skills they learn serve them for the rest of their lives, then I have earned the right to be called teacher, guru, mentor, counselor, and educator.

Karen is pictured (right) with McKinney's Janice Skiles, Region 10 Elementary Teacher of the Year. 

Educational / Professional Background

University Degree

• B.S. North Texas State University
• M.Ed. University of North Texas

Teaching Experience

Committees and Presentations

Awards and Honors

Student Awards and Honors

Community Outreach

School Principal's Recommendation

Karen Shepard, Plano Senor High's nominee for PISD Secondary Teacher of the Year, once said, "Teachers shouldn't be afraid to invest time in their students' lives." In this respect, Karen is fearless. As a sponsor of science clubs both here and at Vines High School since 1985 and as one of the original developers of the Advanced Research and Design course for Plano ISD, Karen has invested much. She will tell you, though, that the payoff in student success has been even greater.

Throughout the year, Karen spends many weekends sponsoring students at science fairs and symposia across the state and throughout the county. Her students regularly take first place at the science fairs and many have also had the opportunity to go on to the international level.

Since 2000, she has also had students selected for two prestigious national awards: Intel's Science Talent Search and Siemens-Westinghouse National Science Competition. Karen has given the time to find these opportunities for her students and then, with her intelligence and compassion, supported them unfailingly in their preparation. This level of dedication has also had an impact on this district. If you look back, you will find the success of PISD students in science research and competition dates back to Karen's involvement in it. Her students' successes and their resulting scholarship opportunities have compelled other schools to increase their participation.

Karen and her students recently have begun other projects aimed at impacting the district. Through the LASER Club, Karen has et up several community outreach projects to promote science to younger students, particularly those with limited English who may not fully understand the opportunities in that field. For the last two years, she has taken students to several schools to present experiments and talk to students in order to develop their understanding of science. Some of the activities are one-time presentations; however, the LASER BEAMS program has developed a more personal connection to LEP (limited English proficiency) elementary students in some of our feeder schools.

Karen and the LASER Club have worked with those young students to develop and complete science fair projects. While the success of the program was a boon for science, Karen was even more delighted to see her own students learn about the power and reward of helping others.

Karen models that kind of compassion in her classroom every day. Make no mistake; she challenges her students tremendously. Her AP Biology program is the largest AP science program on our campus. Further, over 80% of her students have scored 3, 4 or 5 (the passing scores) on the AP exam in biology over the last few years. Still, she presents that challenge with a smile, a joke, a song, a dance, and always a supportive heart.

As one of her students said, "I've heard rumors that AP Biology is one of the hardest classes PSHS has to offer, but with Shep as the teacher, I really enjoy the class. She is so helpful to all of the students and truly tries to help us understand.." For these students, she is their teacher of the year every year, and we are honored that she represents Plano Senior High as our Teacher of the Year 2005.

Dr. Doyle Dean, Principal
Plano Senior High School

Related Links

• Plano Senior High School Science
• Plano ISD Teachers of the Year
• Plano ISD Teacher of the Year Gala