Janet Sheppard Changes Lives in Boerne I.S.D.

When Janet Sheppard enters the classroom, her students get visibly excited. She brings a special touch to their lives. Her class is called Life Skills and it truly is the curriculum that helps them learn to live in the world.

Ms. Sheppard is a special education teacher in the Boerne school district. These children are special needs students who are challenged physically and have learning differences. In each child she sees the potential. She encourages them - and pushes them sometimes - to do more than even they may think they can do.

She didn't go straight into teaching special education. She was a finance major in college, working in a bank. She wasn't very happy and her husband said that she needed to do what she loved. She found that she loved working with these children, and 18 years later, she has many success stories.

Ms. Sheppard works to help these children become independent and contributing members of the community. For these and many other reasons, she truly shows her gift for changing lives.