June's WWEA Educator Spotlight

The Wheaton Warrenville Education Association (WWEA) would like to introduce Mrs. Shelli Webster, a 15 year District 200 educator from Hubble Middle School. Mrs. Webster currently teaches 6 sections of English/Language Arts. She earned her:

• Master of Science in Literacy and Education from Northern Illinois University.
• Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Illinois State University.
• Bachelor of Science in English from Northern Illinois University.
• Associates in Science from Elgin Community College.

Mrs. Webster is a lively educator who enjoys leading students to success both in and out of the classroom while positively impacting their lives. She chose education as her career path because she feels energized and happy when she’s in school. She loves reading and finds it rewarding when her students progress towards their literacy goals. She stated that students often call her “Mom” by mistake, which makes her smile because that simply means they feel comfortable in her presence and are ready to learn. Over the years, numerous students have expressed their dislike for reading, but by the end of the year Mrs. Webster has turned many of them on to the importance of understanding what they are reading and the relaxation or suspense of a good book.

To encourage reading and writing, Mrs. Webster voluntarily sponsors a writing club in her classroom twice a week during her lunch. This is her first year sponsoring this club and it is a great success. Attendance ranges from six to fifteen students. Students are working on original stories and use writing circles to help each other. They hope to publish their stories on a blog. Mrs. Webster also is part of the Hubble Instructional Team and volunteers for the Instructional Team, Behavior Team and in the past the Technology Committee at Hubble Middle School. She is very proud that many of her colleagues turn to her for guidance as they implement literacy strategies in their subject areas.

In 2014, Mrs. Webster won an Ezra Jack Keats Minigrant for a literacy project that she conducted this spring. The grant of $450 was used to purchase books to focus on reading for fluency. Students chose their favorite childhood books to practice and read in a recording for Mr. Hillen’s class at Hubble. Students will even visit Mr. Hillen’s class to read aloud to his students.

We are very lucky to have Mrs. Webster as an educator in our Wheaton/Warrenville community. Best of luck to you as you inspire students to excel in their reading and writing efforts.