By Ember McElrath 

Coweta Teacher of the Month, Shelley Self has been the Coweta High School art teacher since 1992. To say she loves what she does is a bit of an understatement. 

“It is always humbling to be recognized for what you love doing, which is teaching and creating art,” said Shelley. 

Shelley graduated high school from Muskogee, from there went to the University of Oklahoma for a Bachelor in Fine Arts, then to Texas Tech for a Masters in Fine Art, and she didn’t stop there she also attained her k-12 teaching certification from Northeastern State University.

Getting into teaching seemed to come naturally for Shelley. As she grew up teaching Sunday school, vacation bible school, and drawing lessons. 

“Teaching seemed to be a natural progression of sharing my talent with others and my community,” said Shelley. 

Dealing with COVID this year has made this teacher have to think out of the box, but she let that be an inspiration rather than letting it get her down. 

“At the beginning of the year the stress was overwhelming, but I had to adapt and be flexible,” said Shelley. “I started researching and creating videos to help provide visual lessons to reach my students through different mediums especially when we weren’t in person. This addition to my curriculum has made me stronger and more creative.” 

Not only is Shelley an art teacher, she has also been the CHS Art Club sponsor for over 20 years, along with a committee member for the OAEA Young Talent in Oklahoma. 

“This year I am looking forward to spending some quality time with my students and entering their fantastic art into some Spring art competitions,” said Shelley. 

In the summer you can catch her enjoying some yoga or walking outdoors with her husband of more than 29 years, Steve.