Platts and Ferris

My name is Brenda Platts and this will be my 17th year teaching at Shaw!

ELA is my favorite subject to teach.  When I was younger, I disliked reading because it was not easy for me, I was slow at it, and I could never remember or process anything I was reading.  As I moved through each grade, I had incredible teachers and a very dedicated mom who taught me strategies that made it easier and recommended novels and stories that helped me fall in love with books.  Through high school and college, I volunteered and worked in after school programs where I found my niche in passing along everything I’ve learned. 

As your teacher this year, it is my goal to improve my student's confidence as a reader, help them become stronger in navigating through any text they come across, and fall in love with stories that teach you important lessons about how to cope and deal with all of life’s experiences.

My name is Jessica Ferris and this will be my 2nd year teaching at Shaw!

I graduated from Worcester State University in December 2021 where I got my degree in elementary education and mathematics. Growing up, I always preferred my math classes over anything else. Although definitely not always easy, I loved the sense of accomplishment you feel when you finally solve that one problem that has been stumping you. I was lucky enough to grow up with my older sister who loved math. She was like my at home teacher who helped me through all my years of school. She went on to get a bachelors degree in mathematics and is now a high school math teacher. 

My goal this year is to help you like my sister helped me! I want to take away the intimidation that may come with the idea of math and grow your confidence as young mathematicians!