By Holly Penta

Rose Rock, a preschool teacher at LP Vaughn Elementary/ Pre-K and Kindergarten Learning Center, believes in teaching the whole child. She loves being the aunt of over 30 nieces and nephews, and her experiences with them is what inspired her to become a teacher. Since she already spent so much time around children, she decided to make a career out of it. For students studying to become teachers, she suggests spending time in the classroom and researching all that being a teacher really involves before committing to it. This will help to ensure that future teachers have the patience that is needed to be a successful and influential teacher.

Rock has been teaching for 20 years, and tries to blend school, home, family, and community inside of her classroom. Since preschool is comprehensive, she tries to broaden children’s experiences and understanding of their learning environment by teaching all subjects.

The hardest part about teaching for Rock is the sleepless nights, and she doesn’t love being on duty or doing paperwork, but these are nothing compared to the joy she gets from watching her students progress. Her favorite part of teaching is seeing her students change and grow from the beginning to the end of the school year. When working in Winn Parish, she was awarded the title of Teacher of the Year in acknowledgement of her love of teaching and all of her hard work. Now, she brings the same love and dedication to her students here in Natchitoches Parish.