Although Shasta Hanson grew up in the small town of Maud, Texas, she had plans to travel the world. After high school she was off to Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana, and then transferred to University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Arkansas.
She graduated in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in psychology, ready to join the Peace Corps and see the world. In October 2006, she found an opportunity in South Korea, teaching English in its public school system.
"I had never thought about moving to South Korea, and honestly may have not been able to point it out on a map," Shasta said. "But I like to travel so it worked out." The South Korean government requires schools to have a native English speaker on staff. They begin teaching English in kindergarten. Shasta worked in South Korea under a one-year contract, then headed back home. But her traveling didn't stop there. In 2010, Shasta heard from some college friends who were living in Honduras.
"They were just looking for a roommate, so I moved to Honduras," Shasta said. "I didn't have anything better to do, so I lived there for a year and a half."
She took a job teaching at a bilingual Christian academy. She taught seventh-, eighth- and ninth-grade students in spelling, literature, art and home economics. "I speak Spanish, so that was better," Shasta said. "By the time the students got to me in 7th grade, they were already functionally bilingual, so I taught in English."
In 2011, Shasta came back to the U.S. and began working at different jobs around town. She became the youth director at Tapp United Methodist Church in New Boston, Texas. She also began volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA worker. She travels to see a child once a week and visits for at least one hour. She makes sure that the parents are doing their necessary tasks.
"If there are any kids out of town, then I go once a month. Me and the parents can FaceTime also," Shasta said. "I try to be the constant for these kids, because some of them don't have anything constant in their life."
In 2017, Shasta received devastating news about her brother. He had been in a fall and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Shasta and her family banded together to help her brother recover and raise his son, Cason.
"I have no children of my own, so I went from living by myself to having a kindergartner. So, we learned how to do it together," Shasta said.
Shasta's brother has made some amazing leaps in his recovery process and she is proud of him.
When Shasta was in high school, she did not plan on being a teacher. "I did not set out to be a teacher," she said. "I fell in love with it while on the job."
Shasta decided to take the Alternative Certification Program test and get a teaching job in the U.S. This program allows you to work and complete the certification within the school year. She had thought about what age and grade level she would like to teach over the years. "When I lived in Korea, I thought I was going to teach 3rd grade. I felt like those were my people," she said. "When I lived in Honduras, I thought I was going to teach 7th grade."
She applied at Texarkana Independent School District for an 8th grade U.S. History position, and got the job. "This is the only teaching job I have had in America," she said.
Shasta believes she connects well with teenagers and she enjoys teaching that age group.
"Sometimes society sees 14-year-old kids as grownups, but they are not grownups at all. They like to be read to. They like to be hugged, and they will do anything for a Starburst," Shasta said, laughing. "They are regular kids."
Shasta also facilitates foreign and domestic travel for Texas Middle School. She and another educator from TISD travel with Education First Student Travel group and take students to Washington DC, New York and foreign countries. The group has been to Spain, Italy and Costa Rica, with plans to travel to Greece, Ireland and Scotland.
Shasta will graduate this December with a masters degree in curriculum and structure, which she can use to further her career. However, she does not plan on leaving the classroom anytime soon.
"I think teaching is one of those jobs where you feel like you are doing it for the first time every year," Shasta said, "You don't really do the same thing twice."
She enjoys the time with students and the lessons they learn from her are sometimes more than a history lesson. "When I read to the kids in class, sometimes they clap for me. Some of the students have never had a story read to them," Shasta said. "And I do not try to be theatrical, either. I just sit there and read it."
Shasta takes a lot of pride in making her classroom a safe place for everyone to learn and be themselves.
"It is a unique thing in the time that we live in to have a neutral space, and that is what my classroom is," she said. "It really is cool to be part of their story, and for them to be a part of mine."
NAME:
Shasta Hanson
Occupation:
Eighth grade
history teacher
Neighborhood:
Texarkana, Texas
VOLUNTEERS FOR
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)
Favorite food:
Mexican
Favorite
tv show:
"Longmire"
(at the moment)
Favorite pet:
Lab mix named Abraham Lincoln
FAVORITE QUOTE:
"Traveling it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller."
- Ibn Battut