{"id":3063,"date":"2014-09-03T18:43:50","date_gmt":"2014-09-03T22:43:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/2014\/09\/03\/richardson-named-emerging-teacher-of-the-year\/"},"modified":"2022-11-07T18:28:11","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T23:28:11","slug":"richardson-named-emerging-teacher-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/richardson-named-emerging-teacher-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Richardson named Emerging Teacher of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"jessicarsm1\"<\/a>Once a year, Spanish teacher Jessica Richardson \u201912 rolls out the red carpet for her students, literally.<\/p>\n

After viewing the latest couture from Spain on fashion channel Solo Moda, Richardson and her students rearrange their desks at Travelers Rest High School for a little less trendy runway show.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tackier, the better,\u201d said Richardson, who asks her students to describe their plaid- and polka-dotted ensembles as part of their assignments.<\/p>\n

Her creativity and commitment to students were some of the reasons Richardson was recently named an Emerging Teacher of the Year by The School District of Greenville County.<\/p>\n

Richardson was recognized by the district for meeting \u201cthe challenges of education in today\u2019s classroom with determination and skill. Students connect to Ms. Richardson with respect, personal commitment, and caring. She uses technology effectively to help fill the gaps between the culture of her students and those of other countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richardson, a native of Memphis, Tenn., graduated magna cum laude from Furman University and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. In addition to her role as a Spanish teacher, Richardson assists with the school\u2019s robotics team, Beta Club, and Faculty Council, even volunteering to sell tickets at athletic events.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are extremely proud. This is a distinct honor that reflects Jessica\u2019s dedication to providing the finest possible education to all students,\u201d said Furman University President Elizabeth Davis. \u201cWe know that she has made\u2014and will continue to make\u2014a positive difference in the lives of countless individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to her love of office supplies since childhood, Richardson said her EDU 111 class with Scott Henderson at Furman confirmed her desire to be a teacher.<\/p>\n

\u201cI decided I should teach what I\u2019m the most nerdy about,\u201d said Richardson, who studied abroad in Madrid, Spain with Spanish Professor Stephanie Knouse while at Furman and spent this summer in Costa Rica.<\/p>\n

\u201cJessica\u2019s command and knowledge of the Spanish language and culture is her biggest asset, and she effectively harnesses her skills in order to instruct and motivate her students,\u201d said Knouse. \u201cJessica truly shines professionally, and from the outset of her career, she has established herself as a serious educator of Spanish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her travels and knowledge of Spanish culture are regularly incorporated into her lessons. Using her Promethean board and 3-D maps on Google Earth, Richardson\u2019s students give her directions in Spanish as she navigates the streets of Madrid.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tell them those are the buses I rode when I studied abroad,\u201d she said. \u201cIt does pique their interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

To practice using their Spanish vocabularies, Richardson\u2019s students interview her and each other, asking questions about everything from favorite movies to the best kind of potato.<\/p>\n

Richardson doesn\u2019t mind answering personal questions. A favorite of her students is, \u201chow old are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c112,\u201d she writes on the board.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was 111 years old last year,\u201d she said with a laugh. \u201cThey keep my life interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richardson is currently pursuing her master\u2019s degree in Spanish education from Auburn University.<\/p>\n

The Emerging Teachers of the Year Program, sponsored by Greenville Federal Credit Union, recognizes two second or third year teachers, one elementary and one secondary, for outstanding performance. Each winner receives $500, a crystal award, and $500 for their school.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Once a year, Spanish teacher Jessica Richardson \u201912 rolls out the red carpet for her students, literally. After viewing the latest couture from Spain on fashion channel Solo Moda, Richardson […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":265,"featured_media":13594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,26,34,3,63,28,16,35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-department-page","category-administrative","category-admission","category-alumni","category-career-services","category-education","category-modern-languages-and-literature","category-parent-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}