After receiving the Presidential Award, I was given a variety of professional opportunities I would not have received otherwise. My name was added to lists of educational leaders at the state and national levels and led to invitations to serve in ways I hadn't ever thought of. One of those opportunities, becoming a Teaching Ambassador Fellow for the US Department of Education, ultimately led to my current position as a learning specialist at Tech & Innovation in Education.

Sharla Steever Hill City, SD | K-6, Science, 2006

Sharla Steever has served in education since 1992. She has 12 years of elementary classroom experience, nine years of Outdoor Education leadership, and is currently serving as a Learning Specialist at Technology and Innovation in Education (TIE). Sharla has had the privilege of being the co-developer and the co-director of the WoLakota Project since 2012 and the Teachings of Our Elders Project since 2014 where she has video interviewed close to one hundred indigenous Elders in the South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wyoming area. She has worked primarily on educational issues related to culturally responsive education and relational trust in the school and workplace in South Dakota and the surrounding region since leaving the classroom. Prior to coming to TIE, Sharla was an elementary teacher at Hill City Elementary, teaching third and fourth grades for 11 years. In 2006, she received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching. She is a Nationally Board Certified Middle Childhood Generalist and served as a Teaching Ambassador Fellow for the US Department of Education in 2011 and 2012. Before teaching, she was the co-director of Placerville Camp and Retreat Center. She is a Licensed Minister with the United Church of Christ and a Facilitator for the Center for Courage and Renewal. Sharla has published two educational books, "My Garden Sprouts: A Journal For Teachers" and "Zebras in the Classroom and Other Moments that Make a Teacher." Her skills and abilities include: Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning; Civil Discourse – South Dakota Humanities Council Scholar; Relational Trust Building; Circle of Trust facilitation; Video Interviewing; Documentary Film Development; Character Education; Intrinsic Motivation; and Technology Integration.

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