Teacher

About Me

Greetings all! My name is Daniel Shelton and I am the high school math teacher here at St. Mary's School. I am thrilled to work here where there are so many exciting possibilities. In my opinion, I have the best job in the world. Not because of the math (but that is super cool), but because of the teaching. Helping people understand what they did not before brings me an immense amount of satisfaction. I look forward to working with each and every one of you in the coming school year. Scroll down to learn a little bit more about me.

My Background

I am a born and raised Oregonian. I have lived in other places, but Oregon has always been my home. No where else can match its beauty or variety. I still like to travel to far off places, but I am grateful whenever I return home. I was raised in a poor family that moved around a lot in small towns all over the state and I worked hard to get where I am today.

My Education

I graduated from Vernonia High School here in the beautiful state of Oregon, though I went to many different high schools as a teenager. I entered the work force after high school for a few years before I decided to go back to college. When I did I finished by associates degree with Umpqua Community College in Roseburg. Then I moved up to Monmouth, OR to attend Western Oregon University where I finished both my Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and my Master of Arts in Teaching (with their College of Education).

My Interests

I'm a self-proclaimed nerd. When I am not reading a good book, I am playing a video game or board game. My favorite authors are J.R.R. Tolkien and Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time Series). My top pick video game genre are RPGs and of those the Elder Scrolls Series (think Skyrim) is king. When I am not teaching, reading, or gaming I write creative fiction in my free time. Interesting fact: I have published a short story on Amazon Kindle. I also love the great outdoors and going hiking or camping with my family.

My Passion

I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I was tutoring students in college and when I helped my mother get her GED (she went on to eventually get her Master's Degree). I realized after a full day of tutoring that it had not felt like "work" to me. I had just helped people all day. That is when I changed direction and began to pursue a path in education.

My Philosophy

My beliefs on teaching are short and simple: Everyone Can. I believe that if someone is willing to do something or learn or grow then everyone can accomplish, everyone can succeed, everyone can grow. It is my philosophy that what students are exposed to and develop when they're younger can have an enormous impact on the rest of their lives and it is my mission to instill in my students the belief that they too can do anything they set their mind to, and with my help I hope to guide them along that path.

My Career

I have had the opportunity to work at two different public high schools before coming to this charter academy. My first job was at Sweet Home High School up north of here and last year I was right here in town at Eagle Point High School. I enjoy teaching immensely, but I have been searching for a way to "get back to truly teaching" and the Crater Lake Charter Academy model promises just that. I am amped up for this school year and want to see what great things we accomplish.