Carmen Spencer

W/R #18 TA #2
COMM 231-0201
March 26, 2015
A#3: Mainbar

SEO: Brendan Shea finds niche with teaching

Local teacher and UMd alumni Brendan Shea took an unconventional path on his
road to becoming a teacher. From being a terrible high school student, to dropping
out of seminary school, to becoming the head of the English department at St.
Johns College High School, Sheas career path has been anything but
picturesque.

Opposites attract: A bad student becomes the passionate teacher

Brendan Sheas struggles as a student fuel his teaching style today
Ok wrap it up make sure your names on it, and 543... 2 ...1
times up! Brendan Shea said. Scanning the classroom, Shea looked on from his
podium as he watched his freshman English class squirm in their seats during a
quiz. His students scrambled to put down their final answers, and Shea asked, So
that wasnt bad guys, right? and the varied responses that followed simply
brought a smile to his face. Looking back to when he was in his students
positions, it was unimaginable that this is where he would eventually end up.
Shea openly admits that he hated high school, and was on the brink of
failing out as a freshman, but an experience in his British Literature class senior
year ignited the fire that would eventually become his passion to teach.
(more)

A#3 Mainbar. Shea. P.2

After almost failing his freshman year at Dematha Catholic High School,
Shea coasted through the rest of high school until senior year. His British
Literature class was the thorn in every seniors side that was required for them to
endure, being one of the most challenging classes, taught by the same person for
45 years. In that class, he surprisingly found success in school for the first time,
behind a combination of a knack for English and having an expert teacher, which
he believes, was the beginning of his road to
becoming a teacher.
Fast forward to today, Shea believes
that his own struggles in school allow him to
understand students better, and his quest for
becoming an expert drives him to be the best
resource for his students as possible.
Shea smiles while calling on a student in
class (Photo by Carmen Spencer)

Better late than never

The most meaningful high school experience for Shea maybe took longer
than most, but it finally came his senior year. On the first day in his terrifying
British Literature class, the teacher gave each student a challenging poem to read,
The Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, and Shea was up first to explain a
stanza.
In my response I used the word zeal, I guess, and he kind of narrowed
his eyes at me, cracked a smile, squinted, and just said yeah, agreeing with me,
Shea said.
(more)

A#3 Mainbar. Shea. P.3

From that point on, I felt like OK, I can do this. Throughout the year I
started to admire that teacher because he was an expert at what he did and really, I
just wanted to be able to be an expert at something one day.
Drifting into place
Having always gravitated toward service work, Shea went to seminary
school for a year after graduation before enrolling at the University of Maryland,
where being a Terp runs in the family. Sheas wife, father and older sister are
Maryland graduates and his father-in-law is the Assistant Provost for Academic
Affairs at Maryland, so naturally, he followed suit.
At Maryland, Shea eventually chose to major in English. Once I got
there, I kind of drifted, I thought maybe Id be a lawyer or something, maybe
business, and then finally I chose English just because I was always good at it,
Shea said. Towards the end of college, remembering his high school experience
with the expert teacher that changed his outlook on school, Shea started to think
about becoming a teacher himself. Having an impact on someones life I
thought that that looked good, Shea said. I didnt know if I could do it
necessarily, but it was something I wanted to try.
The fast track to an expert
With an English degree under his belt and no teaching experience, Sheas
next goal to achieve was to get his first teaching job.
(more)

A#3 Mainbar. Shea. P.4

After countless interviews that often said he ultimately needed more
experience, he turned to his Alma mater, Dematha, for a job working at their
summer school.
To his surprise, the principal offered him a job teaching English at
Dematha for next year, which he accepted and continued for four years. He next
taught in Boston for three years while his wife attended law school there, and
finally, after moving back to Maryland, he got his current job as an English
teacher at St. Johns College High School in Washington, D.C.
Finding a home
In his fourth year at St. Johns, Shea has already climbed to the top where
he serves as the head of their English department. Its so weird because I was the
guy who almost flunked out of high school, thought I
was going to get fired, and now Im responsible for
overseeing 1,100 students English educations! But I
love it, Shea said.
Sheas efforts dont go unnoticed either. Gerald
Holiday, a senior student of Sheas, admires him as a
teacher. Mr. Shea is cool he gets us to be more open
by being open with us. He lets us take over the class
sometimes to talk about anything and it kind of makes
Shea at the podium in front of his
class. (Photo by Carmen Spencer)

us want to do the work more. Oh yeah, and he has corny

jokes, Holiday said.
(more)

A#3 Mainbar. Shea. P.5

The satisfaction of finding a job that he enjoys and feels rewarded in is
apparent in Sheas enthusiasm when talking about his work. If he continues on his
current path, he might be the expert teacher influencing a change in one of his lost
students. As the bell rings to signal the end of class, Shea simply ends with, Its
been real guys, see you tomorrow.
###

Dematha Catholic High School

Hyattsville, Maryland
Attended 1996-2000

Dematha Catholic High School

Hyattsville, Maryland

Taught at 2004-2008

University of Maryland, College Park

College Park, Maryland
Attended 2001-2004

Cathedral High School

Boston, Massachusetts
Taught at 2008-2011

Sources: Carmen Spencer and Brendan Shea/ Images from Google images

Carmen Spencer

St . Johns College High School

Washington, D.C.
Taught at 2011- present

W/R #18 TA #2
COMM 231-0201
March 26, 2015
A#3: Sidebar

School isnt everything: success outside of classrooms

UMd sponsors innovation and entrepreneurship outside of class
For some people, school just isnt for them. The day-to-day tasks of going
to class and writing assignments dont sit well with some students and hinders
their potential. The University of Maryland, however recognizes this with their
Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Started in 2013 by University President Wallace Loh, the Academy for
Innovation and Entrepreneurship aims to teach students to broaden their horizons
outside of the classroom and try to create products, programs and more that will
solve real-world problems. According to the Academys website, The Academy
has adopted Design Thinking to teach creativity and innovation and Lean Startup
to teach entrepreneurship. These two methodologies both involve experiential,
discovery-based learning where students seek out, interview, and observe real
people in the field.
Maryland alumnus Brendan Shea, class of 2004, was one of those students
who struggled in school. I didnt like the traditional assignments and things like
that. I loved pursuing English outside of the classroom, just not in it, Shea said.
Today, Shea is an English teacher at St. Johns College High School in
Washington, D.C., and supports a push for more alternative learning styles in
schools and colleges.
(more)
A#3 Sidebar. Innovation. P.2

With a growing program, it will be interesting to see the outcomes of these

creative thinkers.
###