Meet Our New Middle School ELA Teacher Brenda Shane
Sioux Falls Lutheran School is pleased to welcome Mrs. Brenda Shane back to the SFLS family! She will join our middle school teaching team during the 2025-26 school year as our 6th grade homeroom, Bible, 7th grade math, and middle school English language arts teacher.
A graduate of Concordia University, St. Paul, Mrs. Shane holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Lutheran Confessions. She is no stranger to our campus—having served at SFLS from 2007 to 2014 in a variety of roles, including athletic director, 6th and 8th grade homeroom teacher, and middle school Bible, math and social studies teacher.
In 2014, Mrs. Shane and her family moved to an acreage in Truman, Minnesota, after restoring her mother-in-law’s childhood farmhouse. She then spent nine years teaching 7th and 8th grades in a self-contained classroom at St. Paul Lutheran School in Fairmont, Minnesota. In 2023, she and her husband relocated to the beautiful Lutheran Island Camp near Henning, Minnesota, where she served as Food Service Director for a year and a half. Since returning to Sioux Falls in October 2024, she has worked as a Patient Service Representative at Avera’s pediatric specialty clinic.
Check out the Q&A below to learn more about Mrs. Shane and her passion for education.
Tell me a bit about yourself and your family.
My family consists of my husband, Scott, and my four bonus kids who came along with him in marriage–Rachel, Jacob, Bennett, and Sarah. We have a son-in-law, Colin, and a daughter-in-law, Emma, that we love just as much. We are also looking forward to the wedding and marriage of Sarah to her fiance, Elijah, in the fall of 2026. I love spending time with our children and watching them be successful adults in their vocations. In my spare time, I enjoy running, cooking and baking, reading, and random adventures with Scott and our mini Beagle, Pepper.
How did you decide to pursue a career in education?
I wanted to be able to share Christ. I have always enjoyed working with kids, and the structure of school and a school day. I grew up in a Lutheran school where we had combined grades for a number of years, and I watched the second nature of getting to help my classmates if they were struggling with a subject, and vice versa, accepting help from both teachers and peers when I needed it. I loved being able to help others come to an understanding of something new, and knew I wanted to make it my life’s work.
Tell me a bit about your teaching style.
I often employ the Socratic method in my teaching. I find it vital to understand what students already know about a subject or topic before I begin teaching so I can best meet their needs. This also sparks conversations, which often leads to learning more than originally anticipated. Asking more questions, rather than simply giving answers, also leads to guided logical thinking, reasoning and a deeper understanding.
What do you enjoy most about working with middle school students?
Middle school students are beginning to really exert their independence. I enjoy assisting them with skills that make a successful student; teaching study habits, guiding with organizational tips for changing classes and rooms in a timely manner, and time management skills to meet goals and deadlines. I love that this age begins to really figure out what their strengths are, and I enjoy helping students realize ways they can use those strengths to both succeed in their endeavors and serve their neighbor.
What is your favorite Bible verse?
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” –Psalm 23
What a comfort to know our Heavenly father is with us every step of every day and into our eternity.
About Sioux Falls Lutheran School
Sioux Falls Lutheran School is a family community committed to developing capable Christian servant-leaders in a complex world who are World Ready and Faith Secure. We are passionate about giving our students the tools they need to be successful academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. We strive to accomplish this goal by maintaining high academic standards, employing excellent teachers, and upholding a Christian worldview drawn from Scripture. Ultimately, our vision is to partner with families in preparing children, as led by the Holy Spirit, for faithful and bold use of their God-given gifts to navigate and serve a complex world with the love of Christ.