Emily Ogden loves to teach – and she loves to learn.
The University of Louisiana Monroe alumna and Louisiana High School Teacher of the Year for 2020 is currently enrolled in the ɫAV Educational Leadership Graduate Program. She earned her B.S. in Elementary Education from ɫAV in 2013.
In her six years as an educator, Ogden taught math the first five years at Start Elementary School to middle- and elementary-aged students. She then moved to teach math at Rayville High School for the 2018-19 school year.
Ogden gives credit to two ɫAV professors who inspired her, Kathy Smart and Dr. Shalanda Stanley.
Smart gave Ogden the confidence to be a great math teacher by showing her how struggling in math makes a person better at teaching it.
Stanley gave Ogden a piece of advice that is now her mantra, “Students are only going to rise to the expectation you set for them, so always set the bar high.”
Ogden understands that without student-teacher relationships, there can be no standards to hold each other accountable. She believes her experience teaching math in multiple grades led to her confidence in students’ ability to learn high levels of content if she, herself, is confident and holds high expectations.
Ogden is also committed to her colleagues’ success by leading Math Content Leader Training in Richland Parish.
“My passion is investing in other teachers to help them build their content knowledge and expertise while also providing them with the tools needed to hold high expectations for all kids. I plan to invest in teachers and students on a broader scale this year in my new role as assistant principal at Start Elementary,” said Ogden.
Ogden started the 2019-20 school year in her new position in Start.
In giving advice to current and future ɫAV Education majors, Ogden said, “You have to be a teacher, nurse, mom, dad, friend, and confidant to each and every student that comes through your door and you will go home mentally exhausted each day, but it is worth it to see the growth and development that happens for your students.”