Michelle Sheatsley has been an English Teacher at East Hartford High School for 25 years and currently teaches mostly English Language Learners on EHHS’s Team Aspire. An energetic and positive educator, she serves as a leader and motivator for her students and colleagues.
“Michelle is somebody who I respect as an educator and as an influencer in our building,” said East Hartford High School Principal Matt Ryan. “Her ability to balance multiple responsibilities with grace and optimism makes her an invaluable member of the school community.”
On Team Aspire, Michelle coordinates Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and credit recovery with a focus on group morale and culture, as well as student growth. She believes her students can meet the high standards she sets for them.
Among her fellow staff members, she is known for her collaboration and infectiously fun personality. Principal Ryan says she brings enthusiasm and encouragement to every aspect of her work.
“Michelle Sheatsley is exceptionally positive and brings an infectious energy to every environment she’s in. Her optimism and encouragement uplift both students and colleagues, creating a culture where people feel supported and motivated to do their best. She approaches challenges with a solutions-oriented mindset, focusing on what’s possible rather than what’s difficult. Her positive attitude not only strengthens team morale but also models resilience and enthusiasm for her students, fostering a classroom environment built on respect, collaboration, and confidence,” said Ryan.
Learn more about Michelle Sheatsley in the Q&A below.
How long have you been a part of the EHHS community?
Sheatsley: I started at East Hartford back in 2001. I worked in another district a few years before that. But I had had an internship here at East Hartford High School when I was at UConn. When there was an opening, I applied, and I got this job, which I am so grateful for all the time.
I love this district. This will be my 25th year and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
What courses do you teach?
Sheatsley: This year, I have three ESL 3 reading classes. They are students who have come to this country from other places and are basically getting close to the top level of English. We want to put them out into the mainstream in the next year or so.
Then I have a senior English class where we have students who used to be on Team Aspire, which is the team I'm on with ESL students. It’s a regular English class, but a little more comfortable because a lot of them already know me and what we do in class supports their English language needs.
Then I am also doing a credit recovery course that I've had for a couple of years for students, mostly seniors and some juniors, who need to get credits back.
How did you get involved with teaching English language learners?
Sheatsley: When I first came here, I just had mainstream classes. I had seniors. Then, I think it was maybe 13 years ago, a few of us were on a team and we ended up with all ESL students, and we noticed the difference in their learning was just pretty amazing. When they were in a room with students who were also learning English, they had that comfortability with some friends and with their native language, but also learning content in English and having teachers who really focused on helping them learn the content, with the English, without making it impossible or scary. So yeah, I’ve been on this team for I think either 12 or 13 years, and it’s been great.
What do you like about working with those students?
Sheatsley: I mean, there are so many students in the school who I love, but the ESL students, I would say on a whole, are really, really hard workers. Because they're not just students, sometimes, who are taking education for granted. They are grateful to be here. They have often separated from family members, left their homes and are really, really devoted to learning because they made all these sacrifices. And why would you do that if you're not going to take advantage of the fact that your family told you, “We want you to go there. We want you to have a better life and a better education and really do great things,”? So, I just have all great things, mostly all great things, to say about these students. They’re wonderful.
You’re known around EHHS for your positivity and energy. How do you continue to bring that to work every day, even 25 years in?
Sheatsley: Well, I'm always one who loves a party. So, you know, I'm on the PBIS committee and we plan end of year parties and holiday parties, and on our team, Team Aspire, we plan birthday parties and parties for good grades. I love celebrating with people. I love doing fun things. I love music and food and all of those things. And I really, honestly do love the people in this building. I've been here, like I said, for 25 years, and I honestly can't imagine going to another district. We have great people in this building, and I just feel like they deserve to have really great things to look forward to and to have fun. I want to get to know them more than just at meetings.
How does your personality affect your teaching style?
Sheatsley: You know, when I was in high school, I had some really great teachers, really great. And then there were some that are not very memorable. And I want to be a teacher who gets them excited about learning.
The reason I became an English teacher, honestly, one of the big ones is because I love to read. I think books are just gateways to awesome things. I often get students who don't like to read and they're like, “I never read anything,” and I always try to tell them, “Then you haven't found the right book or the right genre.” It doesn't have to be a thick book. It can be a graphic novel. I just want them to be excited about learning and about reading, so that they can have the amazing experiences I had my whole life from it.
What do you love most about your job?
Sheatsley: Honestly. I think the people. Like I said, I can't stress enough how many really amazing friends, lifelong friends that I've met in this building.
And the students, I mean, I have students who are 26, 27 years old, former students on our team who I still see. I will bring them to a hockey game or we'll have a fundraiser at Margarita's, and they'll come, they'll bring their friends or their boyfriend or their family. And they always say, “We just want to see you again.” It’s like a family, you know? The relationships I've made are super important to me and to my family, to my husband and my children.
I remember this one girl wrote me an email when she was in college and said, “Ms. Sheatsley, you’ll never guess, one of the first things we had was a reading assignment on The Kite Runner, the book you do with us, and I already had ideas of what I could do because of what we did in class.”
Then there are students who, you know, get citizenship or these students who get these great jobs. This one student in particular, he put me down for a recommendation for a job. The woman called me and I had nothing but amazing things to say about this young man who was always a phenomenal student and a phenomenal person. He called me the next day, and he said,” Ms. Sheatsley, I don't know what you said to that lady, but I already got a promotion and I didn't even get hired yet.” He said, “They bumped me from what they were going to hire me for to a higher level and more pay because of what you said.”
So, things like that are what keep me very happy to be teaching, as tired as I get sometimes. But I love it. I love the people I’ve met and the things that I can do for these students.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.