Meet Megan Shuman: Lakeview Primary’s Teacher of the Year

If you had asked Megan Shuman in middle school whether she planned to become a teacher, she probably would have laughed. “I always thought teachers were crazy. Like, why would you ever want to do this?” she admits.

But all it took was one extraordinary high school class to change everything. “I had a fantastic child development teacher and she just sort of changed my perception of what it meant to be a teacher and what it meant to change lives.”

At 16 years old, sitting in a classroom in Massachusetts, Shuman realized teaching wasn’t just about standing at the front of the room. It was about impact. And she hasn’t looked back since.

From Massachusetts to Milledgeville

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Shuman moved to Georgia seven years ago to be closer to her husband’s family and landed right here at Lakeview Primary.

This year marks her seventh year teaching and her sixth year in Montessori education.

Her introduction to Montessori came after a year in traditional kindergarten. When an opportunity opened up, she stepped forward and found her calling within a calling. “I have not looked back since,” she says.

After completing initial training, she went on to earn accredited certification through the American Montessori Society and is currently pursuing her master’s degree with a concentration in Montessori education.

Teaching the Child — Not Just the Lesson

Ask Shuman what makes Montessori different, and her answer is immediate.

“Montessori is a game changer, we’re teaching to their specific needs. It’s not ‘this is what the whole class is learning.’ It’s ‘you as a student. This is what you need.’”

The standards are still there. The skills are still taught. But the timing? That belongs to the child. “They may be ready really early. They may be ready later. But we’re truly teaching just to the child.”

And that flexibility makes room for something powerful: confidence.

She lights up when describing those classroom moments. “Seeing that hook, seeing the light bulbs go off when they’re so proud of themselves, that’s what gets me up at 5:00 in the morning.”

Leading Beyond the Classroom

This year, Shuman isn’t only teaching. She’s leading.

Last year, she was named Montessori Lead for Baldwin County, a role she’s held since last February. In just a few months, she’s helped strengthen collaboration across schools, implement new writing and spelling programs, and serve as a liaison between Montessori programs and the district office.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEhqvEma7gE

“We have a long way to go, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’m tremendously proud of the effort that’s been put in.” Her Teacher of the Year recognition, she says, belongs to the team around her. “It’s not just me, it’s me and my team. Other teachers see the people who are trying… the ones putting in effort behind the scenes.”

When the Teacher of the Year announcement came, Shuman was the last to know. “They all knew about it for days. I was the last one to know,” she laughs.

Her husband was in the building when it was announced. Her mom was beaming with pride. And her two children, a first grader next door and a three-year-old at the Montessori Academy, got to see their mom celebrated.

Balancing motherhood and teaching comes with its learning curves (especially when there’s a connecting door and a six-year-old who can pop in to say “Mommy!”), but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Megan Shuman didn’t always think she’d become a teacher.

But now, Lakeview Primary, and Baldwin County’s Montessori program, are better because she did. And every morning at 5:00 a.m., when she chooses to get up, get ready, and get at it for her students, she’s proving exactly what that high school teacher once showed her:

Teaching changes lives.