Shannon Rogers

“As our world becomes increasingly web-dependent, I want to understand the data that is being collected on students and ensure that we are using that data in a constructive way. Public education as a whole is still fairly new- less than 200 years old. This means there is infinite room for innovation and improvements. I want to be an integral part of that.”

ENGLISH AS A NEW LANGUAGE TEACHER

Ms. Rogers is an educator of six years with experience in grade levels pre-k through 8. She currently works as the sole English language acquisition specialist at Dr. C.T. Vivian Primary School. In this role, she is responsible for providing language support to culturally and linguistically diverse students and serving as liaison to diverse families. She advocates for equity-based practices throughout her district and also created an anti-bullying initiative within her school, “Kindness Crew,” that encourages students to be of service to others within the building and throughout their greater community. She has also led professional development sessions with pre-service teachers at Illinois State University. Prior to this, she attended and graduated from Illinois State University, receiving her degree summa cum laude with endorsements in ESL and social studies.

SOCIAL ACTIVISM AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Shannon loves the social sciences, history, languages, and politics. She believes that it is the responsibility of everyone to recognize issues in society and work to improve them in any way they can. In her classroom, she incorporates problem-based learning with her students to help them tune into the world outside and prepare them to be agents of change as they mature. She further harnesses this passion by volunteering with community outreach groups and working closely with her teacher’s union. She recognizes the potential for refinement in both education and local policy, and actively networks with local political leaders to create change. She is eager to tackle any problem she encounters.