- Special Events
- Teacher of the Year
Shelley Goss
Bowman Middle School - ESL Teacher
Teaching Philosophy
Plano ISD has been more than an employer for me; it has been home. I grew up as a Longhorn at Mendenhall, walked the blue and gold hallways at Bowman as a student, wore my navy and white PALS shirt at Williams and cheered on the Plano East Panthers every Friday night. As a student, Plano ISD taught me the importance of grit, the beauty of learning and the power of teacher-student relationships. Even before I knew it, Plano ISD was forming my philosophy of education through my extraordinary experiences. My teachers invested in me, equipped me and empowered me to use my voice. My teachers tirelessly did what was best for their students and taught me to do the same.
The central focus in my classroom is the well-being and growth of every student. Thus, I strongly believe in always doing what is best for every student. When students walk into my room, I want them to know they are cared for and seen. One of my favorite parts about teaching is building authentic relationships with each student regardless of their reputation outside of my classroom. I value what students experience, feel and think and they need to understand that they have a voice. Therefore, I spend a lot of time making my classroom, “Goss Grove,” a safe haven for students, a place where they can belong and feel comfortable, where they can conquer the blank page and transform it into a beautiful composition. In order for students to excel academically, it is crucial to create a classroom environment that thrives on positivity, encourages others in the midst of hard circumstances and teaches students to work with people who may have differing perspectives.
In a social media crazed world, students are longing to be seen and recognized. Thus, I attend their soccer games, choir concerts, one-act plays and basketball tournaments and other extracurricular activities so students know they matter. In and out of my classroom, I work tirelessly to ensure every student is seen, appreciated and talked to daily in class and in the hallways.
Doing what is best for kids means making every instructional decision with students at the core. It means using data from formative and summative assessments to drive instruction and expectations. My goal is for my students to identify themselves as readers and writers and to grow in that identity throughout their seventh-grade year; in order for this to happen, every student must receive purposeful instruction. Each student’s data needs to be analyzed and used to guide instruction in order for his/her academic needs to be met.
Another component of doing what is best for kids is cooperatively working with parents and guardians of middle school students who are at their wit’s ends. Middle school years present a unique set of challenges for parents and it is my desire to work alongside them with patience and grace as their children navigate the murky waters. It is crucial to communicate with every parent of every student. I believe in the power of positive parent communications and creating a solid partnership that begins the first week of school.
Teaching middle school students is an incredibly difficult job, which challenges your flexibility and patience, but it is filled with numerous joys. When a student tells me he finally enjoys reading or when another student identifies herself as a writer, I know that the countless hours I poured into those students were well worth it. When I receive letters from former students, I am humbled that they would remember their energetic middle school English teacher. Reading those letters show me my efforts make a long-lasting impression on students. Years later, students recall how I was helpful, positive, empathetic and saw them as people.
To have been a Bowman Raider and now Teacher of the Year at Bowman, I am honored and overwhelmed with gratitude. The Bowman community is truly exceptional. I work alongside some of the best colleagues and administrators who encourage and spur me on to grow as a teacher. Furthermore, my experience as a curriculum writer for Plano ISD has taught me the power of aligning TEKS and creating numerous opportunities for language acquisition in order to design a guaranteed and viable curriculum. All of my experiences as a student and as a teacher in Plano ISD have formed and shaped me to be a teacher who advocates for, invests in and does what is best for every student.
Principal's Recommendation
Plano ISD Teacher of the Year committee,
I am thrilled to nominate Shelley Goss as Bowman Middle School's representative for Plano ISD's Teacher of the Year. Shelley has made an immeasurable impact on our campus through her work with students, her collaborative team and her positivity that spreads throughout the building.
Obviously, the main measure of the strength of a teacher is their impact on the learning and development of their students. As one of her teammates noted, "Shelley knows her students so well. She has authentic relationships with each of them while holding them to high expectations that are data-driven." This is an excellent description of Shelley's approach in her classroom: a beautiful balance of the art and the science of teaching. She builds strong interpersonal relationships and balances that skill with a detailed knowledge of her TEKS, teaching strategies and high expectations for all of her students. As another one of her teammates described, "Ms. Goss is a model teacher. She is great at building relationships and community within her classroom and an advocate for her students. She differentiates her instruction to accommodate for her students."
While impacting students both academically and personally are teachers' main goals, we all know that there is so much more to being an amazing teacher. With our commitment to teacher collaboration through Plano ISD's collaborative team framework, our teachers meet nearly every day. Shelley's teammates nominated her to be the Collaborative Team Facilitator for the seventh-grade ELA team and she shines in her role. She leads her team in unpacking standards, analyzing data and using it to make instructional decisions and meeting the needs of students who need additional intervention or extension and does all of this while balancing the different personalities on her team. Her positivity is contagious, as one of her teammates noted, "She does so much work with the curriculum and ESL strategies and is always trying to figure out the best ways for our kiddos to learn. She also is super encouraging to all the teachers around her. The seventh-grade hallway has become a brighter and happier place since she arrived."
I am so proud to be able to nominate Shelley Goss for Plano ISD's Teacher of the Year award. I am equally as thankful to have her on our campus and to watch her impact both students and staff at Bowman. As you can see from the quotes above, she is also highly respected by her team and our campus staff. Shelley is everything that you would want from a teacher. She creates positive relationships with each of her students and doesn't judge them based on reputation. She is a master teacher - she incorporates TEKS and language building in everything that she does. She is the kind of teacher that you wished you had, that you want to work with and that you would want your own kid to have!
Brooks Baca
Principal