belton, helped shanna develop her passion. as shanna puts it, "she taught me that it was possible to read and write my way into another life." that's a pretty good description of education in general. today, ms. peeples passes that same lesson on to her teachers -- on to her students. in their writing circles students pour their personal stories onto the page. and she tells them, "everyone has a voice, everyone has a story worth sharing." they discover that their experiences aren't so singular -- that whether they're an ethiopian refugee or they've never set foot out of texas, they're not so different and they're not so alone, as a consequence. shanna works hard to earn and keep their trust, and help them find new ways to grow -- academically and emotionally -- to rise above their present and to reach for their future. "in a sense, i sell hope," she says. i love that line. [laughter] "in a sense, i sell hope." and her students are hungry for hope. most kids are hungry for hope. since shanna arrived at palo duro five years ago,

[applause] shanna peeples. shanna, i'm going to brag on you a little bit. you just stand there and relax for a second. so shanna teaches english at palo duro high school in amarillo. many of her students face challenges that would overwhelm adults, let alone kids. about 85% are considered economically disadvantaged. many are refugees from places like iraq and somalia. many of them have known trauma and violence in their lives, and borne burdens that no kid should have to bear. sometimes just showing up to school is hard. but shanna's classroom provides them a safe haven. and in shanna, they find somebody who protects them fiercely and believes in them deeply, and sets high expectations and is confident that they're going to do amazing things. now, according to shanna, she wasn't always a teacher. in fact, she tried everything else she could before she finally accepted her destiny. she was a dj -- i want to hear more about that. [laughter] she was a medical assistant. she was a journalist, a professional pet sitter. finally, she realized what she was always

he hit the jump and got about 20 feet of air before landing. >> next it's shanna's turn. >> go, shannastarted going down the hill, i really wanted to stay on top of the tube. i thought as long as i would have it underneath me i would be okay. as soon as i hit the jump, i started leaning back too far. as soon as that happened and the tube came out from underneath me, i knew that i was going to have a problem. >> shanna loses control of her position and falls on her neck with the rest of her body following right behind. >> when i hit the ground, my upper thighs actually connected with my shoulders when i felt this big smack of just my entire body collapsing in on itself. it was really painful. >> the impact is tremendous. shanna lies motionless on the ground terrified she may be seriously injured. >> i was fairly immobile. i could move my limbs but couldn't sit up. the pain only got worse. i knew i wasn't getting better. i realized i'm going to need some help. >> shanna's friends call an ambulance and she's immediately taken to the hospital. >> i was concerned that if anybody were to mov

sam: kevin dixon and his daughter shanna dixson rode in honor of her up at, his sister a d.c. based f.b.i. agent who was killed in 1994 when gunman lawson shot his way to d.c. cold case office killing diamondbacksson martinez and two other law officers. shawna rode with this picture attached to her bicycle the last time her aunt saw her when she was 1 year old. >> it was incredible. the journey from the beginning, meeting and riding. when you ride next to people you start talking to them and hear their stories. sam: kevin said he rode last year and brought her this year because they love the camaraderie with the officers. >> to give of themselves like this and maintain the sense of honor to the law enforcement fallen is something i will never forget. it was life changing. sam: it was important to make the trip. back live at the police memorial. a lot of people here. met a young officer from lincoln, new jersey one member of a nine-member police force. i also met the commissioner william bratton of new york city. we are talking about thousands there. a lot of them are here this

[applause] [cheering] shanna: thank you, mr. president. your support and believe in public education is one of the many things i admire about you. you are charged to create world-class learners. thank you, secretary duncan for your advocacy of authentic learning and service for our students and your support of teacher leadership. thank you do my wonderful family . i'm nothing without you. thank you to kayla, my students, the text allegation, and my administrators. [applause] finally, thank you to the talented, passionate, and remarkably good-looking group of state teachers of the year with whom i'm probe which to join today. [applause] [cheering] each of them is a study in excellence and each of them is a representation of what a great teacher is. i am honored to stand here today. as a teacher of refugee students, i have been privileged to see public education through the eyes of students from countries as diverse as burma, somalia, iraq, cuba. being here today makes me think of my students. one was a shy, teenage girl who had little forma