PORT ORANGE, Fla. — A+ Teacher Katie Shaw has an important job steering students in the right direction on the road to building a solid foundation for their future. Shaw motivates and encourages students to really put forth the effort they need to master reading.

Shaw loves seeing the spark in her student’s eyes when they learn to read.

She says, “I call it turning the corner. All of a sudden, they’ll look at me one day and go, ‘I know how to read.’ Yes. Turn the corner. It’s magical.”

You must move fast to keep up with Shaw. She has that pep in her step when she is busy teaching students at Spruce Creek Elementary School in Port Orange. 

“I have around 50 students. My typical day is eight to nine groups. They last 30 to 40 minutes each,” she says.  

Inside her classroom, you can feel the excitement when it is time to gather round for reading intervention.

Shaw loves teaching students this all-important skill, saying, “It’s magical to watch kids learn to read.”

She teaches kindergarten through second graders and adds that every minute counts when they’re learning how to read.

And that’s why teaching is fast-paced in her class. 

“Kids naturally love to learn. They just love to learn. The faster you go, the more engaged they are because they’re kids. Sometimes if you’re too relaxed and too slow you lose them,” she says.

Losing her students’ attention is not even an option. That is why Shaw says creating the right atmosphere is also important so students can thrive.

Shaw says, “Humor, humor, humor, humor, humor, kids love humor. It makes them feel safe, and it makes them comfortable.”

And making a difference is what it is all about.

Shaw adds, “If you can’t read, you can’t move forward in this world. So, my recipe has always been fifty percent. I’m very procedural. Very strict. This is how we’re going to know. Fifty percent, I’m just going to love you to death.”