My name is Laina Shoemake and I'm excited to welcome your child to my classroom this year!  I am a proud graduate of Mary Baldwin College in Virginia, where I earned a B.A. in Sociology and certificates in both Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education.  I've also earned my Masters in Educational Administration from the University of South Carolina and I have been named Teacher of the Year twice.  This school year will mark my 17th year in the classroom. During those years, I have taught Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade.  My goal in the classroom is to engage each student in a way that is most suitable to their personal learning styles.  I hope to build lifelong learners and, to do so, I use a lot of active learning and student interaction.  I want our classroom to be a healthy community where students feel safe and valued.