By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

The “Coaches in the Classroom” feature is a weekly series that is designed to spotlight and celebrate coaches throughout Portage County, who spend their days in the classroom leading today’s student-athletes to be tomorrow’s leaders.

Today’s spotlight is on Kent Roosevelt’s Shelley Loofboro, who is in her 13th year as a fourth grade teacher at Davey Elementary and is also the girls field hockey coach for the Rough Riders.

• School district?: Kent City Schools.
  

  SHELLEY LOOFBORO

• How long have you been employed there?: 13 years.
• Classes taught and/or position held?: Grade 4 Davey Elementary School
• What made you want to become an educator?: I worked at a summer camp after my sophomore year of college and really enjoyed it.
• What is your favorite part of your job?: No two days are ever the same.
• What have you learned about being an educator that you didn’t know before you started?: There’s a lot more to teaching than teaching.
• Which teachers influenced you to go into education?: My fourth grade teacher Mrs. Gilson, my high school biology teacher Mr. Mershimer and my high school English teacher Mrs. Maselli.
• How do you apply some of your coaching to the classroom?: Teaching and coaching are very similar. You are trying to get ideas, concepts, and skills taught in both.
• Funniest thing that has ever happened to you in a classroom?: A pipe burst in my ceiling and it rained. Fourth graders are fabulous problem solvers. 
• Mentors in your building who have helped you along the way?: A mentor in my district is Todd Poole.