Shawna Marshall

Shawna Seaton Marshall was born on August 30, 1974 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. At a young age, she knew she was different when it came to school and learning. She struggled to make it to graduation in high school. In her thirties, while attending college as a single mom and working multiple jobs, she was diagnosed as ADHD and neuro-diverse. Once she had an explanation and found ways to manage the symptoms better, Shawna soared through college while being a full-time single parent, graduating just in time to start teaching in her 40th year. Becoming a teacher was always her goal. However, she was discouraged by school counselors and teachers to forgo college for a suitable trade job. Every job that Shawna accepted, she excelled. Naturally, when she became a teacher, she put everything into her students and strived to be the best teacher and educator she was created to be. Not long after the start of her second year teaching, Shawna was diagnosed with Metestatic Thyroid Cancer. She spent the next six years battling cancer while trying to continue the teaching career she loved. The final fight was daily targeted radiation for four months to her neck and throat. Her scans since have been clear and she has continued to teach and to tutor with a passion and a cause. Marshall believes that all students can learn. Sometimes, teachers must alter the way in which they teach to arrive at the desired outcome for a given student. Marshall continues to find creative ways in which to teach. In addition to teaching second grade, Marshall is studying childhood trauma to teach and share with other educators and administration. Her passion extends beyond the classroom. She has a heart for children who have suffered trauma, children with ADHD and other neuro-diversities, and for every student who passes through her classroom door. Shawna began writing as a young girl. She started with poetry. It came naturally to her so she passed her time filling up notebooks with words. She has always thought that words were beautiful. As she grew older, her writing took on different forms. One of those forms was children's literature. Much of her original works have long been discarded. In addition to the Children's Series that begins with Jake's Journey to Read, Marshall plans to publish a teacher's memoir by the end of 2025. Keep reading, there are more books to be written!