“Reading is Liberation”: Why Shannon Nuzzelillo-Morse Found Her Purpose (and Autonomy) at E.L. Haynes
Shannon Nuzzelillo-Morse knew she wanted to be a teacher since the fourth grade. But middle school? That wasn’t part of the original plan.
“I started out in fourth and fifth grade and told myself I’d never want to teach middle school ,” she laughs. Then, she followed a group of her students as they transitioned into the upper grades. She watched the relationships deepen and realized something unexpected: with older kids, you can have real, world-shaping conversations. You can teach them to advocate for themselves and build confidence exactly when they need it most.
“As a kid, I didn’t have that kind of support from a teacher,” Shannon says. “I wanted to be the teacher that I didn’t have.”
Now in her fifth year at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School, Shannon serves as the Middle School Reading Intervention Teacher—a role that allows her to practice what she calls her core conviction: “Reading is liberation.”
Room to Innovate: Escaping the General Ed Burnout
After eight years as a mainstream ELA teacher, Shannon found herself at a crossroads in her career, looking for a way to reach more children with her specific expertise. She wasn’t looking for just another traditional classroom slot. When she discovered the intervention role at Haynes, everything clicked.
“What keeps me here is the kids, the people I work with, and the autonomy to bring my expertise to the role,” Shannon explains. “I have the space to share my best practices, but also get so many different perspectives on how to help kids grow.”
That autonomy doesn’t mean working in isolation. In fact, it’s the exact opposite.
The Operating System for STEAM
As Haynes evolves into an innovative STEAM school, Shannon is proving to middle schoolers that literacy isn’t just a subject—it’s the engine for everything else.
“The basis of science, technology, engineering, and art is reading and thinking critically ,” she says. Because of Haynes’s deeply collaborative culture, Shannon regularly works across subjects. If an eighth-grader lights up during a science experiment, Shannon pulls a nonfiction science text for their reading intervention block.
This collaboration even bridges campuses. Right now, Shannon and the middle school team are partnering directly with elementary school intervention teachers—visiting each other’s spaces and alignment-planning so that incoming fifth graders hit the ground running.
“Middle school can be scary for kids,” Shannon notes. “This way, when they walk into our building, we are already familiar faces.”
What Kind of Educator Thrives at Haynes?
According to Shannon, successful Haynes teachers share a few distinct traits:
• Student-Centered: Everything starts with what’s best for the kids
• Team Players: Cross-curricular and cross-campus collaboration is a baseline here
• Open-Minded & Hardworking: Ready to try new practices based on data
• Curious: Educators who aren’t afraid to ask questions and push their own learning
A Community Where You Are Seen
What truly sets the Haynes experience apart for staff is a culture where no one is an island. Whether it’s the principal standing at the front door every single morning to greet staff and families by name with a quick joke , weekly middle school community morning meetings, or the school’s Thrive Awards that publicly honor staff members based on core values—educators here are celebrated.
If Shannon could go back to her first day at Haynes, her advice to herself would be simple: “Trust your gut, be yourself, and know that you are going to have really supportive colleagues around you.”
Ready to do the best work of your career?
We are looking for creative, collaborative, and mission-driven educators to join Shannon and the rest of our team.
👉 [Explore Open Roles at E.L. Haynes and Apply Today!]