Shannon Waldren- Study Skills Teacher

Shannon Waldren is a new Study Skills teacher at West Florence. What brought her to WF was her daughter. Her daughter was accepted into the Governor’s School and she wanted to be closer to her.

She received her undergraduate degree Summa Cum Laude from Mercer University and she is in the process of finishing her Master’s at USC.

Waldren said she always wanted to teach Study Skills because she thinks that students need study skills more than ever.

“If I can teach them how to organize and use the information they learn, I am helping them not only in all of their classes, but also in their lives,” she said.

She taught at Sumter High School and Darlington County Schools several years before she came to WF.

In her free time, she likes cooking and baking, reading, and being at the beach. Also, her dream after she retires is to live on a beach or on an island in the middle of the ocean.

She has one outdoor cat, one indoor cat and one Pekingese doggo. She is a lover of animals and has had ferrets, gerbils, hamsters, turtles, frogs, fish, snakes, and mice in the past.

Waldren has enjoyed working at WF thus far.

“The students are great! They are so smart, and so motivated to do well and be successful. They are curious and want to know more and do more, “ she said.

She has some advice for Study Skills and what should students do. Students should set goals each week, in her opinion. They should plan their time, use their agendas to write down their assignments and upcoming events. They should learn how to study for different types of information and tests.

“Most importantly, stay on top of your classes, communicate with your teachers, and always turn your work in,” she said.

She gives some advice to her students: “ If you don’t know how to do something try to get help, try to find out, try to ask questions. Always try.”

This is inspired by a quote from Mary Engelbreit.

“If you don’t like something, change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.”