JMHS Teacher Profile - Rhonda Brookshire

This month we spoke to Rhonda Brookshire about her role at James Madison High School.

What do you teach at James Madison HS?

I am an assistant teacher for Algebra 2.

If you were not a teacher, what would you do?

I guess if I could not teach, I would write curriculum or write textbooks to aide students in learning. I have 19 years in the classroom and find it hard to imagine myself not teaching young adults.

What is the one important life lesson you'd like your students to know?

We make mistakes, we fail sometimes. The type of person we are is shown by how we handle those mistakes and how we pick ourselves up and move on. We learn, we grow, and we get better – it's a lifelong lesson.

If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be?

Abraham Lincoln. I have wanted to meet him since I was in the 4th grade and had to write about him. I think hearing about the conflicts of the times and what his dreams and goals were for our country would be so interesting. He believed in a different nation and aided in moving us in a direction of that belief.

If you were to create a slogan of your life, what would it be?

Smarter not harder!! I use it everyday in my classroom . We can do just as good and accomplish just as much if we attack it in a smart calculated way than the hardest way possible. It does not mean to always take the shortcut – but to take the smartest path!!