Faculty of the Week: Courtney Shaw
By ANVI BHATE, ELLIE ANA SPERANTSAS, ARIANA THORNTON, ANDREW YUAN
On a cold night on the North Side of campus, Health Instructor and Wheelwright dorm faculty Courtney Shaw’s bowl of candy is the main attraction in the bustling common room. She sits in the corner welcoming students into the dorm for the night, Pixi sticks and Starbursts sprawled on the table in front of her. Students stop to talk about their day, sharing stories and ranting about minor inconveniences. Her night on duty is always a social scene for the common room.
Shaw came to Exeter as an intern for the Health Department, living in Webster and learning to teach under the guidance of other health teachers. She then left Exeter to earn her Masters and work at the Center for Disease Control at the O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. At the Center for Disease Control, Shaw worked in the division of global migration and quarantine, handling incoming cases of Ebola and helping to contain and quarantine other epidemics. “The time there was definitely a stressful environment.” Shaw said. “It was a lot of fun in a lot of different ways being a part of that history, but also just doing other things that relate to the specific quarantine office—like working with the office of migration, working with custom border patrol and reviewing different health packets to ensure that people come into the States healthy.”
Shaw went on to earn her title as a public health advisor in Chicago after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and after an eight-year interlude, returned to teach at the Academy at the prompting of her friend and mentor: Health Instructor Michelle Soucy.
Faculty remarked on Shaw’s unique qualifications for teaching health. “She applied and she was, by far, heads above any of the other candidates,” Soucy said. “It was just a perfect match because she already knew our school, the type of students she would be working with, and she was familiar with half of our department already because she had worked with us.”
“Her philosophy about how to teach health education was really striking. Everybody on the committee who read [her statement of purpose] was just like, ‘this is our candidate.’” Soucy added. “She has such a wide understanding of the mind/body connection, and her background in holistic health is really something we didn't have in our department.”
When asked why she decided to come to teach at Exeter, Shaw mentioned that she had learned a lot through the intern program. “I really enjoyed my time here at the internship program that was designed to expose college graduates to the Harkness method and get them into becoming teachers. I come from a long line of educators in my family,” Shaw said.
“My paternal grandmother is actually one of the first Black educators in Arlington, Tennessee. There's actually a whole day—Esther Lee Shaw Day—that's named after her, for being one of the most amazing educators ever. So I knew I wanted to get into education,” Shaw continued, speaking about how she was first inspired to become a teacher.
Faculty and students alike emphasized the joy of being in Shaw’s presence, as well as having her as a teacher. “She has an energy that makes you want to be around her,” Soucy said. “She brings that energy to her work within the department, as well as our friendship. She's a role model for my own children. She's just wonderful.”
English Instructor Sahar Ullah agreed. “She is compassionate, honest, and supportive. As someone who is not only new to PEA but also to New England, I am immensely grateful to have a faculty colleague and friend in her,” she said.
Shaw’s advisees expressed appreciation for her heartwarming enthusiasm and helpful advice. "I am super grateful to have Ms. Shaw as an advisor because she provides so much support for us. She is always reaching out and making sure we know that we can meet with her anytime,” lower Sophia Dabney said. “She has helped me to acclimate to this school both academically and mentally. Whenever I see her on the path she always has a conversation with me and she came to a lot of my sports games in the fall which was super sweet of her.”
Lower Emmie Zarb agreed, citing the academic and emotional support that Shaw has offered her over time. “As both a mentor and an advisor Ms. Shaw has helped me both reach out to teachers and opened my eyes to all sorts of academic support the school offers when I needed it. Even if it meant pushing me out of my comfort zone just to benefit me in the future. She’s also helped me identify areas of myself that I would like to work on and has given me suggestions and advice to get me started.”
Zarb also shared experiences she had with Shaw outside of the classroom. “Outside of the classroom, Ms. Shaw is caring and thoughtful. I always look forward to the days she’s on duty in Wheelwright because she just has such a real and genuine connection with those around her. Regardless of time that has passed since our last conversation, Ms. Shaw will recall and bring up its contents to follow up on how things have been. Just spend a couple minutes with her and I guarantee that people passing by will wave hello to her. She is a great presence here on campus.”
Shaw’s connections with students on campus have not gone unnoticed. “I think students in particular really respond well to her and her ability to speak the truth about certain issues related to health and wellness. For instance, in her Post Instructional Evaluations, students would remark about how much she taught them and how she was a good listener and helped them problem solve,” Soucy said. “I think her ability to look at our current lesson plans and bring an outside eye to critique and improve them for the classroom has been really, really special. Whether it's her basketball coaching, her dorm work, or going to talk to Gender Sexuality Alliance about certain topics, students find that they can connect with her really well.”
Fellow Health Instructor Brandon Thomas agreed, “The way she shows up for students is super dope. On at least five different occasions someone has mentioned that they’re thankful she is in community with us.”
Other faculty members also shared their own personal connections with Shaw. “One of the things I appreciate about her is she knows about a lot of different things, particularly in holistic health and meditation,” Soucy said. “Sometimes I'll be like, ‘Oh, I have this pain in my back.’ And because she knows the human body and where muscles connect and where you're keeping emotional stress, she can come and put a finger on me and just relieve pressure.”
“I think having another Southerner here definitely makes me feel more understood,” Thomas said. “Sometimes we can just look at each other and the synergy is both amazing and hilarious. Ms. Shaw is also one of the funniest people I know; her meme game rivals anyone I know and she can talk trash with the best of them.”
Thomas added, “I love her passion. It’s so hard to leave a conversation with her and not learn something about yourself or the universe. I’m lucky to call her a colleague.”
Extremely passionate about health and teaching students life skills through it, Shaw really enjoys the freedom allowed in health education at Exeter. “[I think] having the ability to have free range in the classroom and teach about mindfulness and meditation and what it means to have balance in life is extremely important here,” Shaw said, talking about how much she likes being at Exeter. “I love teaching people in my classroom.”
