“I believe the teacher
must embrace the whole child in a caring and positive manner, that the
classroom should foster a climate that provides children with experiences
that assist in developing the whole child, and that the teacher must acknowledge
the varying pace of each child's development” states Dr. Betsy Rogers,
2003 National Teacher of the Year.
As Alabama’s State Teacher
of the year, Dr. Rogers was subsequently named as National Teacher of the
Year in April of 2003. She recently completed her national tour as
Teacher of the Year and has returned home to Birmingham where she will
be serving as the curriculum coordinator at Brighton Elementary.
In 1985 Rogers began teaching
first grade at Leeds Elementary, where she says the poverty, abuse, and
neglect experienced every day by some of her students overwhelmed her.
"I wanted to change the world for them," she says. "It took me several
years to realize I could not change the world in which my students lived.
But by understanding that school was the best place for some of my children,
I became committed to making my classroom a place where students feel safe
as well as creating an environment that provides joy to those with unfortunate
lives."
Recognizing that all children
learn differently and at a different pace, Rogers implements a variety
of methods and materials to promote individual development of meaningful
learning and social cooperation. Part of this is using a theme-based curriculum
which follows the state guidelines. "This is important," she says, "because
it allows the day to flow and helps make connections for children."
To broaden her ability to
find the best materials and methods for each child, Rogers has continuously
worked to improve her own teaching skills and keep knowledgeable of current
research and trends in education. After 24 years away from a university
setting, she earned three degrees — a masters in elementary education,
an educational specialist in elementary education degree, and a doctorate
in educational leadership — all in the past five years. This experience,
she says, "challenged me to rethink my teaching practices, gave me a new
perspective about the profession, and fostered and nurtured leadership
skills I didn't know I had....helping me to see the importance of teacher
leadership."
This realization helped Rogers
make a substantial contribution to her school's first Literacy Committee
and encouraged her to take on the challenging task of seeking National
Board Certification. In 2000 she received her generalist/early childhood
certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Rogers was born on March
2, 1952 in Birmingham, Alabama, and graduated from Woodlawn High School
in the Birmingham Public School System. In 1974 she earned her bachelor's
degree in elementary education from Samford University in Birmingham. Her
master's, specialist, and doctoral degrees were also earned from Samford
in 1998, 2000, and 2002 respectively.
