About
— Meet J Shannon —
Literacy is power. I’ve spent my career proving it.
I’m J Shannon, and I’ve spent more than 15 years in secondary literacy: first as a classroom ELA teacher, then as an ELA curriculum coach and K–12 ELA curriculum coordinator, and now as a high school administrator leading instruction for a building of more than 1,500 students.
At every level, I’ve learned the same thing: students rise when literacy instruction is built on clear, consistent systems, not one-off lessons. That belief became The Momentum of Literacy™, and it’s the foundation of every resource I create.
Results that built the work
In the classroom: a 5-year average of 90% proficiency with my own students.
District ELA leadership: as K–12 ELA curriculum coordinator, I led a shift to diverse, “windows and mirrors” texts where students see themselves and the world. Our district earned recognition from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for above-average ELA growth two years in a row, for all students and every student group.
Instructional leadership: led our English 2 teachers to an 8-point gain in students scoring proficient and advanced over three years, a 24% increase.
Growth every year: scores have risen every year under my instructional leadership.
Why By J Shannon
Everything here comes from what I’ve taught, coached, and watched work with real students: vocabulary systems, reading journals, independent reading routines, and the habits that make literacy stick. No busywork. Just systems that build momentum all year.
You’ll still find my resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, but this is home: the place for the framework, the free Teacher Vault, and the ideas behind it all.
Literacy is power. — J Shannon