Finding Greatness: Brooke Jordan

Author: News Bureau
Posted: Tuesday, June 19, 2018 12:00 AM
Categories: School of Education and Behavioral Sciences | Faculty/Staff | Finding Greatness | Pressroom

Macon, GA

When Brooke Jordan, left, enrolled at MGA as a freshman, she was reunited with one of her 7th grade teachers, Dr. Rhonda Amerson, who began teaching at the University the same semester.

Recent MGA graduate Brooke Jordan, the first in her family to finish college, will begin a teaching career this fall. One of her inspirations was her 7th grade teacher who became a Middle Georgia State faculty member  the same year Jordan became a student.

Full Name: Brooke Lynne Jordan.

Age: 21.

Hometown & Residence: Gray.

Family: "My mother is Stephanie Jordan. My sisters are Destiny Zimmerman and Savannah Jordan (a current MGA student). My grandfather is Wayne Meeks. My nephew is Brinson Zimmerman."

Employment: "I am an elementary school teacher at Turner Woods Elementary School in Gray. I will be entering my first year in the profession the next school year teaching 4th grade science and social studies."

Degree: Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Special Education, Class of 2018.

Describe your current career and what you love most about it.

"I haven’t officially entered the profession yet (I start this fall), but I am most excited to see how I can teach the students effectively, and also see how I can learn from them! As a student-teacher I loved establishing relationships with elementary school students and playing a positive role in their lives."

How are your Middle Georgia State experiences benefiting you now in your career and personal life?

"For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a schoolteacher. I loved school growing up and knew if I did eventually become a teacher, I wanted to come back to my hometown and invest the time and attention in those kids just like my teachers invested in me. Middle Georgia State was the closest university to me that offered a dual degree in education (both general education and special education), which was ultimately why, along with the affordable tuition, I chose MGA.

"After I posted on Facebook that I had been accepted to MGA, Dr. Rhonda Amerson, who was my 7th grade teacher, reached out and informed me that she had accepted a teaching job at there and would also be starting that fall. We met up at the bookstore about two weeks before classes started. In the midst of her busy transition, she took the time to give me a tour around campus, help me and my mother find the things I would need in the bookstore, and more. I knew that there was at least one professor who was 'on my side' by being so helpful. I was quite hopeful that many of my professors I would have over the course at MGA would be the same. And they were! MGA and its professors are benefiting me in my career now, because that is exactly the type of teacher I want to be. I want my students to know that I am always a set of listening ears, a shoulder to cry on, and that I care about them and their success – even when they are far out of my elementary classroom."

What do you expect to be doing in five years?

"I think I will still be teaching elementary school, hopefully still in my hometown."