Business Training Seminars

Keynote/Breakout

Business and Workplace Etiquette
Etiquette
Motivation
Professional Image For Success
Womens Issues

Profile

For over ten years, Shantarra Houston worked in the education profession as a reading, language arts, and writing teacher, language arts and writing department chairperson, curriculum developer, and trainer in public schools that were mostly populated with at risk students. As a reading, language arts, and writing teacher, every school year brought much success for her students on state standardized testing in the areas of reading and writing and overall academic achievement. With the implementation of multiple research based differentiated instructional strategies, over 90 percent of her students achieved learning gains. These learning gains caused student proficiency scores for state standardized testing to increase between 9 and 20 percent each school year. It was her belief that every child could learn, and they did in her class.

As a language arts and writing department chairperson, curriculum developer, and trainer she composed and selected numerous curriculum materials that assisted with the training process of the reading and writing teachers that were located in her assigned school. She always trained other subject areas teachers how to incorporate effective writing skills in their classrooms. She always knew how to motivate the teachers and lead by example. As a result, student achievement improved in each of the reading and writing teachers' class and state standardized student proficiency scores increased the most in the school's history. These increase in student proficiency scores was the driving force for the schools receiving higher school letter grades, which improved the image of the schools.

Prior to her professional career in education, she obtained numerous years in the public administration field in various organizations.

Aside from the professional education and public administration career experience, she has some clothing retail experience and for many years has had the opportunity to incorporate that experience while mentoring, motivating, and advising teen girls and women in the areas of personal and professional image. Her passion for assisting others to enhance their image has also allowed her to consult with men about their personal and professional image and various organizations.   

To further assist teen girls with their personal and professional image, she has become involved in the national initiative to empower girls to become highly educated and sophisticated women by being the founder and Board of Directors Chairperson for WE R G.E.M.S (Girls Educated, Motivated, and Sophisticated), Inc., a not for profit corporation. The mission of the corporation is to empower girls between the ages of 9 to 18 to make positive decisions in areas that determine their social and educational status. WE R G.E.M.S, Inc. currently assist girls in communities located on the Treasure Coast (Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River) in Florida. She is also involved in numerous community initiatives that focus on improving women related issues.

Thanks to her accomplishments and willingness to continue to assist others with their personal and professional image, she has facilitated numerous professional presentations and she is currently writing her first book.