Receiving the Presidential Award is a confirmation that I have been teaching quality science. I rarely get the chance to visit other science classrooms or have someone evaluate my teaching methods. So, I teach, evaluate, and reflect on my teaching performance in a bit of a bubble. To have the top science education experts evaluate my science program and consider it worthy of this award validates what I am doing for my students and gives me confidence in training and mentoring other teachers.

Wendy Shelden Rockledge, FL | K-6, Science, 2008

The official biography below was current at the time of the award.

Wendy Shelden teaches fourth grade science at Ralph M. Williams, Jr. Elementary School, where she began her teaching career in 2001. Mrs. Shelden goes beyond her classroom to involve her colleagues and the community, as well as students and their families, in exploring the wonders of science. Using a Space Coast Credit Union Mentor grant, she teamed up with a first-year teacher to design a multigrade "night views" program involving student research and technology. The team brought astronomy students from the Florida Institute of Technology and scientists from the space industry together with students, families, and school staff for a night of telescope viewing. As a member of the school's Science Leadership Team, Mrs. Shelden has presented numerous after-school workshops for teachers addressing best practices in science education while also adding to teacher knowledge about science concepts. She mentors her colleagues in integrating science into all curricula, including art, music, and physical education. Mrs. Shelden is a member of the Brevard Public Schools Science Saturdays Team, which conducts weekend sessions for fifth grade students at low-performing schools. During 2006-2008, she planned and implemented a series of hands-on sessions to engage students. After the first year, more than 75 percent of the schools' fifth graders scored at or above grade level on the science portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (twice as many students as in the previous year). In 2006 the Space Coast Science Educators Association named Mrs. Shelden the Exemplary Science Teacher of the Year. She was Ralph M. Williams, Jr. Elementary's Teacher of the Year for 2005-2006. In 2005 she participated in the U.S. Department of State/National Aeronautics and Space Administration Space Science Institute. Mrs. Shelden has a B.S., magna cum laude, in elementary education from the University of Central Florida. She is certified in kindergarten through sixth grade elementary education and is a National Board Certified Teacher.

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