Dr. Shanna Opfer
Associate Professor of Education, Elementary Education Director, Janet Cramer Endowed Professor
402-643-7219 Shanna.Opfer@cune.eduThom Leadership Education Center 214B
2017 Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award Recipient
Dr. Shanna Opfer has served at Concordia University, Nebraska since 2008, after spending six years teaching in grades 4-6 in public schools. She is an Associate Professor of Education, Director of the Elementary Education program, advisor to elementary education students, and student teaching supervisor. She oversees the elementary education program curriculum, develops courses, and collaborates with local schools to establish high-quality field experience placements for students. Her favorite role is that of teacher.
“I am passionate about equipping future educators with research-based instructional strategies, Christ-centered teaching dispositions, and joyful enthusiasm for their vocation.”
Dr. Shanna Opfer
Dr. Shanna Opfer's Academic Programs
Undergraduate
Elementary Education
As an elementary educator, you are certified to teach children in kindergarten through sixth grade. You will typically spend the day with the same group of students, teaching them foundational skills in a wide variety of subjects. The liberal arts education you will receive at Concordia University, Nebraska, along with subject-specific methodology courses in the education department, will prepare you to be an outstanding elementary school teacher.
Middle Level Education
The middle level education program at Concordia Nebraska connects theory with practice to prepare graduates to teach grades 5 through 9 in both self-contained and departmentalized classrooms. As a middle level education major, you will choose from among math, science, social sciences and language arts and have the opportunity to add a second subject from those or Spanish, physical education and ELL/ESL, allowing your passion for teaching to connect with your subject-area passions, which you can share with your students.