By Kaylee Greenlee | Reporter
Dr. Rachelle Rogers’ influence reaches beyond her students at Baylor University; she helps raise future educators, publishes extensive research and has been recognized as a Baylor University Fellow.
Rogers is a clinical assistant professor in the Baylor University School of Education and is the university liaison to Midway Middle School Professional Development School.
She was recently elected to serve on the national board of directors of the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE). Rogers was voted by membership nationwide, and will take office in February where she will serve for three years.
“Professionally, it is one of the most honored recognitions I have received; to be elected by colleagues is an honor,” Rogers said.
Through her new position with ATE, Rogers said she strives to give more power to state organizations in teacher education.
“I want to be an avenue for the smaller organizations. I want them to have more voice,” Rogers said.
Rogers served in leadership positions in other organizations such as the Texas Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and presented 25 research papers at national meetings since 2013.
Rogers is an advocate for clinical practice in education, putting future teachers in the classroom working environment as opposed to having student teachers observe or merely sit in the back to observe what the best practices are.
“We know how important clinical experiences are to keep [students] in the profession,” Rogers said.
Amanda Packard, head of the mathematics department at Midway Middle School, interned with Rogers and said it was a great experience for her career.
“I feel like I would not be even half the teacher I am today without her guidance and experience,” Packard said.
Prior to her involvement with ATE, Rogers worked with Midway Middle School as a Professional Development school, and served other districts in the Waco community.For six years Rogers worked with Waco ISD through the Texas GEAR UP state grant to put on week-long summer math intensives.
“We started with students in Waco ISD, and we followed them through their senior year of high school,” Rogers said, “to give them insight to them being successful and coming to Baylor, I have been able to see the impact on these kids.”
Over the course of her career, Rogers says that it is still the most satisfying to her when former students come back to say, “I’m the teacher I am because of what you did.”
She has always strived to make a positive impact on her students, and in her community.
“The most rewarding thing I do is being an educator. I hope I portray that to my students. Am I doing my very best? Am I educating them? Can I share it all? It is the most rewarding thing I can do,” Rogers said.
