Jeremy Shinefeld is a lifelong Temple Owl.

“I have been attending Temple since daycare,” the Philadelphia native and philosophy graduate said with a laugh, adding that his mother works in the university’s Institute for Survey Research.

This fall, he plans to give back to the Philadelphia community where he has been educated all his life by serving as a special-education teacher with Teach for America, an organization in which recent college graduates commit two years to teaching in economically disadvantaged schools.

Shinefeld said he has been heavily influenced by great teachers, both in high school and in college.

“I’ve been fortunate to have had some really amazing teachers.

They had a big impact on me, so it seemed like teaching would be a good direction for my life,” he said, noting that it was the teaching style of philosophy Professor Shelley Wilcox that convinced him to join the department.

“If asked to name my favorite philosophy professors at Temple, I’d probably end up naming everyone in this great department,” he said, adding that the program gives students an opportunity to tackle interdisciplinary topics and pursue careers in a wide variety of fields.

While Shinefeld said that early on he vacillated between going into law or education, he ultimately settled on the latter, as he felt the freedom in the classroom would give him a chance to positively influence young minds.

He added that his decision to volunteer to teach special education was a result of the promised smaller class sizes and more personal contact with each student.

“I’d rather teach special ed than anything else,” Shinefeld said. “You get to work with the same group of students throughout the day. You get to know the kids and have the opportunity to be doing something really great in their lives.”