Meet Erin, Shawnee Owner

Erin Smith has been a middle school/high school special education teacher for 23 years in the Choctaw Nicoma Park School District.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in Education, both from the University of Central Oklahoma.  Her passion and motivation for helping students become successful in school and life is undeniable and genuine.  She continued to see this need for reading intervention growing and knew she needed to jump in and help these students in a one-on-one individualized environment. So, the Shawnee Study Hub was opened to do just that.

“Over the years of my teaching career, I saw so many struggles and a huge need for reading and math intervention.  So many kids were significantly struggling and weren’t getting the individualized instruction they so desperately needed.  I was getting students, entering 9th grade, that were not just struggling to read, but they were so far behind in reading skills that I knew unless they received some kind of one-on-one intervention they would continue to fall further behind, and these students may not be able to meet goals for further education. If they could just get individual, specialized instruction, they could accomplish so much.  As much as I tried to provide extra reading services in my classroom, there just wasn’t enough time to give individual students what they needed.  Several of these students started going to the Study Hub, and I was seeing first-hand the success they were gaining.  Grades were going up, confidence was built, goals for the future were being met, and students were enjoying school more.  I was so overjoyed to witness this part of their journey; I knew my calling was to give all my attention to working with individuals and helping them be successful in their education and knowledge.” I am so excited to bring these services to the Shawnee area!