My name is Robert Shappell, and for those of you who do not know me, I am pursuing a doctorate in Organizational Leadership with a focus in Special Educations and earned my Master of Science from Drexel University in Education Administration. My Bachelor of Science is from Rowan University in Biology/Secondary Education and I have an Associates in Applied Sciences in Ophthalmic Science from Camden County College. I was a licensed optician for a number of years before leaving the optical shop for a classroom.
I fashion myself to be a bit of a tech-nerd. I am on multiple social media forums, like Twitter, Facebook and Linked In (please feel free to hit me up). I am now in my seventeenth year as an educator, which includes ten years as a high school science and technology teacher, three years as a curriculum director for mathematics, science and integrated studies, two years as an assistant principal and now as an intermediate school principal (grades three through six). I have been blessed to work with and learn from some amazing people. Each new experience has provided me opportunities to grow and evolve as a professional, and a person.
This past St. Patrick’s Day marked my fourteen year anniversary with my amazing wife, Bridget. We have two high-energy and fun-loving boys (Nathan, age ten and Spencer, twelve) and live in southern New Jersey. We spend summers down the Jersey shore, and no, it is nothing like the annoying television show. Proudly, I have never met “Snookie”! In all seriousness, I credit my wife and my youngest son for inspiring me to concentrate in Special Education, as they both struggle with learning disabilities. My goal is to help struggling learners find success in the classroom so that they have the opportunity and desire to further their education as life-long learners.
Please feel free to collaborate through this site, any one of the social media outlets listed above, or via e-mail at robshappell@gmail.com. I welcome any blog posts, articles, You Tube or Ted Talk videos, or any other interesting learning resources. My dissertation will focus on narrowing the achievement gap between regular and special education students, so feel free to send information my way! Also, I welcome all suggestions for future posts.
Thanks for checking in!
Rob
