Published August 7, 2019
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 ULM Educational Leadership Graduate Program.
She earned her B.S. in Elementary Education from ULM 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 ULM 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 ULM 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.”
