Ada High educator, Shawn Freeman was recently elected Teacher of the Year. Freeman has been an instructor for fourteen years and has taught at Ada for nearly 9 of them. She was nominated by her colleagues to receive this award and will advance on to run for District Teacher of the Year.

Freeman says she feels a bit overwhelmed by the award but is grateful to have received such an honor. Freeman believes the attributes of a good teacher can be described as “a willingness to do what necessary to connect your subject with all your students.”

Many of Freeman’s students, such as Addie Mann, look forward to her class everyday. This is the third year Mann has had Freeman as a teacher.

“It’s hard to describe her because she is one of the best people I’ve met in my entire life,” said Mann. “There are so many different things that she does well, so many different aspects of her personality that make her a good person, and so many reasons that contribute to why she deserves this award that it’s hard to pick one out of five hundred things that make her amazing.”

According to Freeman, her average day consists of “two sections of environmental science, one section of Pre-AP Chemistry, one section of regular Chemistry, and two sections of Student Council and Mock Trial.”

Freeman is known as one of the most dedicated and passionate teachers by her colleagues and students at Ada High. Feeling a great deal of joy watching her students mature, Freeman looks forward to the future ahead of them.

Freeman said, “My favorite thing about teaching is watching kids grow up between sophomore year and senior year and seeing them develop their passion, whether it be in the classroom with a particular topic, through leadership, or a project they’re working on. It’s watching them develop the skills that will take them to the next level.”