(Editor’s note: Meet one of the five finalists for Columbia County’s Board of Education Teacher of the Year Award.)
With over 27 years of experience in teaching fourth and fifth-grade classrooms, Jennifer Roper enjoys sparking students’ interest in history with excellent storytelling and a kind smile.
Roper, who was born and raised in Augusta, graduated from Lakeside High School and Georgia Southern University, and currently teaches social studies to fifth graders at River Ridge Elementary.
As a result of her experience helping organize Lakeside’s annual student yearbook, and working as a part time babysitter and lifeguard, Roper said she later sought to marry her personal creativity to her work with children – making for the perfect person to teach young students about history.
“I was just trying to think of a way that I could still be creative while reaching children that needed help, because I struggled in school,” she said. “I think it fit my personality…I really had to work hard in school, but the more I learned about how to be creative to reach children in order to help them learn, the more I was drawn into the profession.”
Honored with the Sallie Mae Award for exhibiting outstanding teaching within her first year on the job, Roper was recently nominated as one of Columbia County’s top five finalists for the Teacher of the Year award.
“I never looked back, and this is really where I feel like I’m supposed to be,” she said. “I would say my teaching involves a variety of methods. I hope I’m always keeping students at the edge of their seats, because I think learning about the past really shapes their future.”
Incorporating creativity, visual and auditory aspects to teaching history, Roper said she has always been determined to deviate from the stereotypical ideas of history lessons.
“When I was in school, it was always, ‘open your textbook and let’s read these sentences.’ We were lucky if we got one visual picture,” she said. “But I’m all about bringing history to life in the classroom…in my classroom, we could be listening to Louis Armstong on the radio or writing poetry thanks Langston Hughes. I want to keep history alive for them.”
Embodying the idea of “telling history as if it were a story, so it’s never forgotten,” Roper is all about assigning entertainingly engaging activities partnered with high expectations.
“I feel like I’m changing students’ mindsets about learning history, and I think a lot of it is just about how it’s presented,” she said. “If I present it in a way where I’m excited about teaching it then I think that creates natural excitement in the room…If it’s presented in a way that intrigues them or makes them question things or leaves them wondering then I feel like I’ve done my job as an educator.”
With experience being co-chair for the Junior League of Augusta and acting as a liaison for the Columbia County Cheerleaders and Champions program, Roper said she has been an eyewitness to the power of extracurricular success on young students and strives to integrate outside confidence within academic work.
As a mother of two teenage boys and a survivor of breast cancer, Roper said such integration of confidence entails always trying to remain considerate, mindful and understanding of her students’ individual problems in and out of the classroom.
“I am determined to take the standards that I am required to teach and find the best way possible to present it to meet the needs of my students,” she said. “I want them to know that they are capable of doing great things. Especially in our society today, where so many people are struggling and going through so many things, I just always tell them, ‘you have to put one foot in front of the other, always putting your best foot forward, and keep moving.’ They need to know that they are capable, even when things get tough.”
To further encourage her students, Roper decorates her classroom with many inspiring phrases to remind children of their personal value and how education can lead to achieving amazing life goals.
“I believe we have to show students the importance of motivation to achieve their goals. I want each student in my class to know that I am their cheerleader and will never stop rooting for their success,” she said. “I want my students to believe in themselves like I believe in them. I hope they leave my classroom feeling like I have supported them.”
Loving her students’ educational independence, Roper said one of her favorite aspects of teaching older elementary school children is getting to nurture their individuality.
“I’m right at that great age where I love watching them take the information I give them, and then getting to sit back and see what they do with what they’ve learned. I take a lot of pride in having them really involved in their learning,” she said. “They care and want encouragement. I feel like the more encouragement I give them, the more they want to go out on their own and take risks to try something new – to look at something in a different way.”
Happily surprised at the news of her finalist status in this year’s Teacher of the Year selections, Roper said she was ecstatic to feel as though her efforts were being recognized and valued.
“Honestly, I’m still pinching myself. It’s just an overwhelming sense of joy,” she said. “I know so many outstanding teachers who deserve to be right here with me, and I just hope that if I’m chosen I can stand up and represent all the people who’ve been with me along the way.”
As a member of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE), she has also collaborated with district efforts to connect teachers to the most up-to-date resources provided by the Georgia Department of Education. To date, Roper has been involved in numerous committees, as well as the behavioral PBIS team in addition to mentoring various other teachers throughout her career.
“There have been times where I brought up topics that I thought needed to be addressed for the benefit of our school, and oftentimes people would come to me afterwards and thank me,” she said. “I feel like I am just one voice for many who are dedicated to this profession, but if I can speak up in a leadership or a faculty meeting and sometimes pose the hard questions to be a voice for my coworkers then I want to do that.”
Aspiring to be a caring and concerned community voice for her fellow teachers and parents, Roper said she would endeavor to promote more teacher resources if chosen by the county as the next district Teacher of the Year.
“I want to advocate for my profession and also the students I teach each day, and that’s part of the reason I put myself in places where I can learn as much as possible. So I can try to contribute to the profession in a way that’s not only in our classrooms, but also in the community” she said.
For teachers in today’s world, Roper believes educators have to prioritize balancing one’s personal life with work, and finding a healthy equilibrium between the two.
“You don’t want to deplete yourself so much that you can’t give to others,” she said.
The Teacher of Year award winner will be announced at the district’s annual Teacher of the Year banquet on Oct. 4. The event’s live stream will begin at 6:30 p.m. online at the Columbia County School District’s official website.
