Shanna Peeples

Shanna Peeples is an educator, author, and the 2015 National Teacher of the Year, recognized for her work teaching middle and high school English in low-income, predominantly Title I schools in Amarillo, Texas. Before becoming a teacher, she worked as a disc jockey, medical assistant, and journalist, including reporting for the Amarillo Globe-News, where she won awards for coverage of health issues, schools, and music criticism. She has taught Advanced Placement English and a wide range of students, including refugees, immigrants, gifted and talented learners, and students in credit recovery programs.

Peeples holds a B.A. in English from West Texas A&M University, an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in literacy from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Harvard University. She serves as the Dr. John G. O’Brien Distinguished Chair in Education at West Texas A&M University, which she joined in 2020, focusing on teacher workforce and residency research. Peeples is the author of Think Like Socrates: Using Questions to Invite Wonder and Empathy Into the Classroom, Grades 4–12 (Corwin, 2018), and has also co‑authored *Best Lesson Series – Literature