2016 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year
Shawn Sheehan
Current Teaching Position
Education
|
Teaching Philosophy
"It's the art in what we do that provides the greatest rewards and it is so important that we teachers keep sight of that. It's at the core of what will attract people to our profession, what will keep teachers in our field, and what will keep kids excited about coming to school and pursuing knowledge."
Oklahoma Teacher of the Year Message
"If I were selected as Oklahoma's Teacher of the Year, my message would be simple: find a way to rally around public education. We need to find a way to get all hands on deck to create positive changes for our education system in the long run."
Biography
Shawn Sheehan has been teaching at Norman High School as a Specialized Education Math Teacher for the last five years. In August 2015, he was selected as Oklahoma’s 2016 Teacher of the Year. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism at Arizona State University and his Master's in Special Education at the University of Oklahoma. While at Norman High, Shawn helped students create The Music Club, which consists of rappers, guitar players, singers and other types of talented musicians and music-lovers.
Shawn is also the founder of the Teach Like Me Campaign, which aims to redefine public perceptions of the educator profession. The social media campaign has garnered much more attention since he became Oklahoma Teacher of the Year and he hopes to use it as platform in response to the teacher shortage in our state and nationwide.
Shawn is also a Special Olympics Basketball Coach for an adult team in Moore and he is a Big Brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cleveland County. He recently married an amazing AP English Teacher last summer and the couple enjoys spending time watching movies and trying to get their Persian cat and English Bulldog to get along.
