Welcome! 

Ms. Karim's Corner

Hello and welcome to all families visiting this overwhelmingly exciting website. I am Ms. Karim! I teach reading, writing, and social science. 

 👩‍🏫 Meet Ms. Karim! 🎉

Hi everyone! I'm Ms.Karim, and I am very excited to be your teacher this year! 💛📚

I've been teaching ELA since 2013 and have worked with 7th and 8th graders, but let me tell you... 6th grade is where the magic happens! 🪄✨ There's something so fun about this age — you're ready for big ideas, creative projects, and so much laughter.

My classroom is very much centered around JOY 🥳 and CREATIVITY 🎨. I love hands-on, exciting projects that bring learning to life. Some of my favorite activities we've done include:

🏺 Building Ancient Egypt dioramas
🏃‍♂️ Competing in our own Greek Olympics
💰 Running a trade simulation for Ancient African Kingdoms

Outside of school, here’s a little more about me:
🌆 I love my city. Chicago is the best. Best skyline. Best food. Best everything. That's just a simple fact.
🐂 I’m a Chicago Bulls fan. I don't want to talk about it.
🌭 I love hot dogs (I am an advocate for ketchup. Sorry.)
🎭 I’m a big fan of musicals. I sing in class very often.
🌍 I love to travel and explore new places!
🇸🇾 I'm proud of my Syrian roots!
🗣️ Je parle un peu de francais.
🎓 I have a Master’s in Education, and I am a lifelong learner.

Basically, I’m here to make learning fun, meaningful, and something you'll never forget. Get ready for a year filled with stories, projects, teamwork, and a whole lot of laughter. Let’s gooooooo 🙌📖🔥

About Ms. Shannon

Hello MLA Families! 

My name is Ms. Louisa Shannon, and I am honored to return for my fourth year at Murray as the 5th & 6th Grade Science Teacher. After completing my student teaching at Murray fifteen years ago,  I taught intermediate and middle school in Chicagoland charter and public schools.  I have a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy Studies and a Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Elementary Education from the University of Chicago. I  earned my Science Endorsements through coursework at the University of Chicago's SESAME program. I am dually certified in general education and special education, and I have taken graduate courses in gifted education.

I am passionate about cultivating a rigorous, supportive learning environment that empowers every scholar to apply critical thinking competently,  confidently, and conscientiously. Sixth grade is the foundational year for middle school science and is the first year that students are introduced to the key practices of argumentation and active reading.  I look forward to working with you to empower our scholars for success this year and in the future.