At Burton Elementary in Rexburg, first-grade teacher Peggy Jane Rogers breaks the reading process down into sequential steps and helps children not only learn to read, but also teaches them to love reading. She structures her teaching in such a way that every child is given one-on-one instruction, feedback, and encouragement. Known for igniting reading fires in struggling students, Mrs. Rogers does not stop at the classroom door; she teaches parents how to help instruct and encourage their children at home. Thanks to her Stop and Go Writing lesson in which students learn paragraph writing skills, as well as her incorporation of computer programs and state standards in her instruction, Mrs. Rogers' students have been scoring consistently higher on standardized reading tests. Mrs. Rogers is a district literacy team leader, a facilitator of reading classes, and a recently named district Teacher of the Year. She is Japanese Fulbright Scholar and has had the opportunity to visit Japanese Schools. Peggy is National Board Certified. She is looking forward to her new assignment as a second grade teacher this fall.
