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Photo courtesy of Sodashi Shallow
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By Mallory Martin
Staff Writer
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Earning the title Teacher of the Month for February is math teacher Mike Shallow. He has been teaching for 24 years and has spent
his last two years at Chattahoochee. Before he began teaching at CHS, Mr. Shallow taught at Marietta City Schools for nine years. He
has also had a string of other professions and a diverse life that many students may not know about.
After attending college in New Hampshire,
Shallow settled down in New York City and continued his studies at NYU. While living in what he refers to as "the slums of the city," he
managed a non-profit health food pizza shop. Employees consisted of volunteers, and pizzas
were made with ingredients such as whole wheat bread. "I came out earning about two
dollars a day, but it didn't matter because my rent was only 36 dollars a month," Shallow
jokes. "But overall, it was a great experience. The atmosphere in Spanish Harlem is very rich."
Shallow became a math teacher because he feels a sort of connection with the subject.
"I hate to bring religion up, but I get a sense of the divine when I am doing math problems.
When you understand a difficult concept, there is extreme clarity. It's a wonderful feeling."
He enjoys teaching his Algebra II and Geometry classes, which consist mostly of
sophomores and juniors. "The reason I teach is for the joy I get from seeing how people
change, watching people grow," he says. He developed his attitude while he was a skiing
instructor. "I taught beginners and it amazed me to watch new skiers, who didn't know
how to stand up, eventually become great on the slopes." According to student Kartik
Natesan, it is obvious that Shallow enjoys his job. "Mr. Shallow gets really fired up about
our success in math. He will do anything to get us to understand the concepts."
Besides fulfilling his duties as a teacher, Shallow is the father of three and a husband as
well. Parviti, his oldest daughter, is a student at UGA; his other daughter Sodashi is a senior here at CHS; and he has a third grade son named Kaelan. |
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