We all know about chorus and all the wonderful students that are in the class, but we all will forever remember the teacher who has led the class, Ms. Shafer. The Blue and White decided to get to know her and see what other things she does and is interested in.

Ms. Shafer attended Stetson University and believe it or not she did go to become a chorus teacher. Why Stetson you ask? It gave a better scholarship package. She had always wanted to be an elementary teacher since 6th grade!  “Since 6th grade, I‘ve had my heart set on it. I hated chorus for the first 2 weeks, my chorus teacher was really awesome though. I was actually pretty good at singing, which I didn’t think I was because I wanted to play the flute in the band. I didn’t get to play the flute but I got to sing and I was kinda okay so I liked it. I’ve never wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer but I liked it so I was like ‘Let’s do it!'” she said. Ms. Shafer loves Apopka and came here because of the culture, the kids, especially the CHORUS kids. She then said, “I like feeling and knowing that I’m home, [I love] the teachers, I get to work with my bestie, I have a teacher crew that keeps me sane.”

Outside of school, she conducts a professional choir and sings in 2 professional choirs. She also loves hanging out with her 2 year old daughter, Cadence Avery Shafer. And if you didn’t know, “Cadence” is a musical term. She has the same initials as her dad, AKA Ms. Shafer’s husband. She also likes sleeping. A proud moment that Ms. Shafer has had her daughter as a mom, is “watching Cadence do anything new. Like it’s super cool, she’ll score a  goal at soccer, she’ll talk up a storm or sing new songs. Her current phrase right now is, ‘I love you so much,’ and then I cry, it’s the only time I have a soul.” She’s also had multiple proud teacher moments with the chorus kids after every performance because, “My kids are awesome when we perform.” She is proud of herself for, “being a boss-lady, and thriving in my profession and I’m proud of that because I believe all women need to know that they can do anything that they want.”

One of her favorite childhood memories is, “Babysitting you! [Cayla Pitts] When this cute family moved in across the street from my house, these girls were just the cutest little thing! They asked me to babysit and years later, unbeknownst to me or her, we found out we were long lost neighbors. Other than that, I sang in Carnegie Hall as a kid. That was pretty cool.”

A quote that she goes by would be “Don’t be Dumb, Make Good Choices!” Something she feared most about growing up would be adulthood in general. Including, “paying my own bills, making my own decisions, having to cook something everyday for dinner.” When we asked had she ever dealt with past disappointments, Ms. Shafer got inspirational. “I know I’ve had moments where things didn’t work out to where I wanted them to, but I have really tried to find good in whatever’s coming. There is a rainbow, there is sunshine, there is happiness from anything that is, at first, disappointing.”

One fun fact about Ms. Shafer is, “As a child, I thought that Toy Story was real and I would try and watch my toys move. I’d be like, ‘I’m gonna shut the door,’ and then open real fast to see if they moved. I really thought toys were alive because Toy Story said they were.”

Thought the toys may not have been alive, Ms. Shafer sure is the most liveliest teacher here at Apopka!