JCSD 509J is spotlighting Elizabeth Rookstool who is a 4th Grade Teacher at Buff Elementary for the work she does on a daily basis in her role.
This is her fourth year with JCSD 509J. She has been teaching elementary grade students for nearly 10 years now. One of her main goals as a teacher is to create an environment in her classroom where her students feel safe and welcome.
“I think a lot of it has to do with my ability to empathize with my kids,” she said. “I can relate to a lot of the situations. I lost my dad in second grade, and my grandparents raised me so I wasn’t in a typical household. I know what loss feels like and I know what not having a stable home environment feels like. So, I feel like I’m able to provide that for my kids. That is my why, is to create that safe, caring space. They know that I’m going to be here every single day when they walk through the doors. They know that this place is safe.”
Her favorite part about teaching is making learning and school fun for her students.
“I’m going to be the teacher that you see in the hallway that is dressed up in costume always willing to dance it out with my kids,” Rookstool said. “I think that is my most favorite part about teaching is just finding joy in the little moments and making division fun and fractions fun.”
Below is her nomination for Employee Spotlight:
“Elizabeth has worked extremely hard with our new reading program to find the resources to best serve her students. She works with her team to plan instruction to be sure every student has success. She has been a leader in the 3-5 alignment work started this year. She is a team player, who is always willing to step up and help others. She does all of this hard work with a smile and adds in a whole lot of fun! She is an amazing teacher.”