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Carrie Underwood

With a mother, Carole Underwood, who taught for twenty-five years and two sisters (Stephanie Shelton and Shanna Means) who currently teach, two-time Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year Carrie Underwood knows who the real American idols are.

“Teaching was something that ran in my family," says Carrie. "I have always admired my mother and sisters for making a difference in the lives of so many.”

Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher.

Carrie Underwood, Carole Underwood, Stephanie Shelton and Shanna Means

Carrie Underwood was born March 10, 1983 to Stephen and Carole Underwood, and was raised in the rural town of Checotah, OK. She started singing at church when she was three and by the seventh grade, people were taking notice of her voice.

Carrie graduated from Checotah High School as salutatorian. She attended Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK, graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in mass communication with an emphasis in journalism. She was still taking her college classes when she decided to audition for American Idol. Carrie went on to win the show’s fourth season in May, 2005.

Ms. Underwood released the single “Inside Your Heaven,” which debuted as the best selling song in the nation. She broke Billboard chart history as the first country music artist ever to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100. Her debut album, Some Hearts, was the best-selling female country album of 2005, 2006 and 2007 and is the biggest-selling American Idol album to date in the U.S. The album included four other #1 hits including “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” “Don’t Forget to Remember Me,” “Wasted,” and “Before He Cheats.”

Her second album, Carnival Ride, was released in 2007 and has sold almost 3 million copies. It included five #1 country hits: “So Small”, “All-American Girl”, “Last Name,” “Just a Dream,” and “I Told You So.”

Carrie has won four Grammy Awards as well as a host of trophies from the AMA, ACM, CMA, People’s Choice, and Billboard, among many others. She was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, and was voted the Academy of Country Music Awards’ 2009 Entertainer of The Year.

Carole Underwood graduated from Hitchita High School in 1967, one of seventeen members of the last graduating class of that school. She completed her Bachelor of Science requirements from Northeastern State University in Talequah, OK in 1978, and went on to earn a Master of Education Degree from the same school in 1985. There she received the Academic Achievement Award for being the outstanding graduate student majoring in elementary education. Carole taught all of her 25 years in the Checotah, OK Public School System in the fourth and fifth grades.

“As a parent and a teacher, I feel a great sense of achievement knowing that our three daughters are all successful adults and great at what they do.”

Stephanie Shelton attended high school at Checotah High in Checotah, OK. She then attended college at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK, where she received an Early Childhood and an Elementary Education Degree. Stephanie has always been an elementary school teacher, teaching mainly kindergarten, but she has also taught first grade and fifth grade. She currently teaches at Lipscomb Elementary School in Brentwood, TN. Before that, Ms. Shelton taught for three years at Singleton Elementary in Arkoma, OK, and for eight years at Creek Elementary in Muskogee, OK.

Stephanie became a teacher because she admired her mother. She used to play school with her dolls and stuffed animals at a very young age, trying to be like her mother. She loves working with the children and can't imagine a more rewarding career.

“The best thing about teaching to me is what I like to call the “Aha!” moment. This is the moment when a child who has been working so diligently finally achieves his goal. It is a wonderful feeling to see that kindergarten student who has been struggling with letters and sounds finally put those together and actually read words!”

Shanna Means also attended high school at Checotah High School. She then earned her Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, AR. She currently teaches kindergarten at Liberty Elementary in Mounds, OK where she has been for nine years, and has also taught pre-k. Previously, she taught at Marshall Elementary in Checotah, OK for five-and-a-half years.

Ms. Means became a teacher because it seemed like the perfect job for her. She gets to be creative and fun in a job that is never the same from day to day. Additionally, her work hours are perfect for a busy mother of three! For her, the best thing about teaching is looking at her students in May and realizing how very far they have come since August. Students who could barely write their name when they began her class may be reading and writing everything. A terribly shy child may stand tall on stage to say his/her lines in our end of year play.

“Looking back at my fourteen years, I think that the moments that make me proudest are when my former students stop by my room and look around with an affectionate expression and tell me things they remember from our class. Most children don't remember too much from their fifth year of life, so if they recall things we did, our class must have made a difference.”

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