Superhero Teacher: Catherine Sharbeno
Fri, 2016-02-19 05:00
News Staff
By DAVID J. HARDIN
Cove Leader-Press
Catherine Sharbeno teaches 6th grade social studies at Copperas Cove Junior High School. She has been teaching for nine years, all with CCISD.
Born and raised in the Philippines, Catherine’s family moved to the United States because her father was in the Navy. She spent her teenage years in California, and graduated from a high school in San Diego. She also served in the United States Army. Sharbeno is married and has two children, one a daughter who works for the city animal shelter and has a child of her own, and the other is a senior in high school, who is very involved in the Pride of Cove band. He plays the trumpet and used to be a drum major. Sharbeno is an active member of the band’s booster club, a year round commitment because even after football season the band performs and competes against other bands and travels to many other venues.
Sharbeno said that before she became a teacher, her job involved sitting at a computer all day. She said it was very boring nd she wanted to try something new. She decided to become a substitute teacher, and knew right away that being in the classroom was where she needed to be. As a former military child, Sharbeno aid she is sympathetic to students who have to deal with a parent who is deployed and away for months at a time. She went back to school for her teacher certification, and currently is working on a Curriculum and Instruction Masters degree in Education with an online program through Texas A&M University in College Station.
Sharbeno said her worst subject in school was social studies, and her best subject was math. She chose to teach social studies because she wanted to be able to relate to students who are struggling to learn social studies, because she knows what it was like to struggle in that subject. She teaches six periods and a total of 120 students throughout the school day.
Sharbeno said being able to motivate her students comes from getting to know her kids. Her main teaching philosophy is designed to help the individual student and not bunching everyone into a military-like mindset, meaning each student learns differently and some learn at a different pace than others. The goal with her methods is not only to motivate them, but also to get them to think creatively. She also said that a big part of her philosophy is working closely with parents, because it is important to keep an open line of communication with them, so they know exactly what is going with their child in her classroom.
Sharbeno teaches patriotism to her students every day,and allows them to be creative by working on various subjects that deal with American themes of culture, history, family, and honoring those who defend our country. Her students have represented CCISD at the National Social Studies competitions in Washington D.C., and she currently has students working on new projects. Those students will be competing soon at a regional competition for social studies.
Sharbeno said she cares about her students and what she teaches, and recently that dedication did not go unnoticed as one of her fellow colleagues nominated her for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Junior High School Teacher of the Year for this area of Central Texas schools. On January 23rd of this year Sharbeno was honored by the VFW with that award.
“I am honored to be recognized for this award,” Sharbeno said. “But I feel no different from the other great teachers who teach social studies in the area.” She added that she appreciates that a colleague nominated her for this award.