Sherri NelsonServing as a learning lifeguard while remaining employed full-time as an instructional leader allows Sherri to connect informally with students and reminds her why she chose to become an educator: She cares about kids and wants to impact their lives ositively.Sherri, a former middle school teacher and instructional coach, is currently the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for the Brandon Valley School District in South Dakota. A highly regarded educator for three decades, Sherri has worked as an instructional leader in two school districts on both ends of the student achievement continuum: a rural and low-income district (once identified by the state as requiring immediate improvement) and an affluent suburban district (recognized as being one of the best in the state). In both communities, she encountered students who demonstrated academic excellence with minimal assistance and those who needed extra support until they could independently navigate their academic journeys. In her spare time, Sherri finds joy in connecting with educators nationwide and collaborating with them to develop plans for helping every student experience academic success. She was recognized as South Dakota's Curriculum Leader of the Year in 2025 and honored as Huron Middle School's Teacher of the Year in 2011. Sherri authored Learning Lifeguards: Your 10-Step Guide to Building a Team that Motivates Struggling Students to Love Learning and Stay in School and coauthored The Brick House Study Guide. Sherri has also contributed several articles and stories for educational publications and has presented the topic of academic lifeguarding at schools and educational conferences in twenty states.Sherri and her husband are lifelong Minnesota Vikings football fans. They live in Brandon, South Dakota, and enjoy traveling and recreating their favorite restaurant dishes when they return home. Their two daughters teach in the neighboring school district, just eight miles down the road. Read More Read Less