Her Story
About Sheberia
I've been teaching for 17 going on 18 years, but my journey to education wasn't a straight path. I actually started out in college doing four years of electrical engineering, and then I switched to teaching. Everyone thought I had lost my mind, but I just felt very led to begin to teach, so I followed my heart and became a teacher. In my day-to-day work, I wear many hats - I teach my students, serve as the tech coordinator helping with the technical side of things at school, and work as one of the lead teachers guiding my teammates on my grade level. I'm also the advisor for the Angel Emotions dance team and often do decorative things for teachers' appreciations and different programs. I'm doing all of this while continuing my own education. Last year I completed two degrees simultaneously while working - my Associate of Theology and my Master's in Education, which was actually my second master's because my first master's is in Educational Technology. Currently, I'm getting ready to get a Bachelor's of Theology and will graduate June the 13th. Beyond my school duties, I'm also Miss Alabama America's Elite Educator and will be competing for America's Elite Educator in November. I'm the executive for the Me Plus America pageant system. At my church, I'm a minister over the dance ministry and in the music ministry. In 2019, I released my first single called 'If We Tries,' and I also recorded as a lead soloist with the group Gifted Hands around 2017 or 2018. I've written and co-authored a couple of books. One thing I'm particularly proud of is starting an engineering STEM fair at my school back in 2019, giving students the opportunity to see different vehicles and things related to STEM careers that you wouldn't normally think of. I just did another one this past Friday, bringing in different vendors to do activities with the students. I find myself teaching everywhere I go, no matter what age bracket - whether young people or older people - I'm often showing them something, teaching them something, giving them a new skill, or trying to create opportunities. My platform is Operation TEACH, which is an acronym for Total Education for All Children of Humanities, meaning educating the mind and the body and the soul, and not just necessarily literal children, but us as children of God. I live by the belief that education is all around us, and the moment we stop learning, we are dead.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sheberia
01What do you attribute your success to?
For me, the number one thing that has led to my success is God. My belief and my faith is what has caused me to achieve every single thing that I've achieved. It's caused me to continue to follow my heart, even when I was afraid. Things just kind of happened in a miraculous way for me. Even down to how I was hired when I got my first job as a teacher, I was actually out on a boat for weeks. I couldn't hear anything, my phone didn't work. I was literally on a paddle boat in the middle of a lake, and that's when I got the call that I got the job. Fast forward the next time, when I was in between jobs, I got a phone call sitting on the foot of my bed to come work at a place I never applied for, but I was called to come back and get a job. So things just kind of happened in a very untraditional, unusual way for me. One of the things that my pastor always tells me is when it comes to elevation, it's not necessarily something that someone sees in you, but it's something that you're doing all the time which is now getting a title for it. I'm often doing things a lot of the time behind the scenes and not really looking for any recognition, because I know that my reward comes from me blessing others. I'm just being able to help people, help children. I live by my platform Operation TEACH, which is an acronym for Total Education for All Children of Humanities, meaning educating the mind and the body and the soul. Education is all around us. The moment we stop learning, we are dead.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
One thing I would share with young women who are wanting to go into education is to be sure you want to get an education, simply because in today's society, we have a lot of young teachers who go in with the heart of wanting to teach, but then when they get in the actual field, they quickly realize that this might not be my calling. I recommend having that experience, and you can get experience even outside of the college - volunteering for different camps, or different summer programs and things of that nature, to try to get experience outside of what only they give you when you're doing your undergrad work. Try to get in there, become a sub, because if you become a sub for a teacher, you can get some experience that way as well. This is just a wish of mine - I wish each school government would make it mandatory that the last year when the student teachers are getting their practicum, if they can become a permanent sub for that duration, because that would really, truly give actual insight of what actually happens in the classroom.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Most importantly, the number one thing for me is character. Your skill can get you there, but it's your character that will keep you there. So it's important to protect your character at all costs. You need to uphold your integrity and make sure that you are following your heart and not being swayed by situations or just spur-of-the-moment things. Sometimes we get in our feelings and we react in a way that, had we paused for a moment to think about our decisions and how we respond, we wouldn't find ourselves in trouble. So I would just say, again, protecting your character is most important.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Alabama
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.