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 Ruthie
Riggs
Rose Union Elementary Principal
I'm Ruthie Riggs,
principal of Rose Union Elementary. I am
honored to be a "lifetime educator" of 25 years and
treasure being part of the "people growing "
business. My husband, Rusty, and I have raised
3 sons, Ryan, Riley, and Robert. They have
taught me well over the years and have been a
constant reminder that I am privileged to work with
each family's most prized possession....their
precious children! My professional preparation
includes academic work in the areas of child
development/family relations, early childhood
education, guidance/counseling and school
administration. I've taught pre-k,
kindergarten, first grade, served as middle school
counselor and administrator in 3 districts and 10
different schools. I was honored in 2005 as
Norman's representative as elementary "principal of
the year" and went on to receive Oklahoma's
Principal of Excellence that same year. I
teach as an adjunct instructor at the University of
Central Oklahoma and serve on two university
committees. This ongoing relationship with the
university helps keep me informed of research on
best practices and current topics that impact
children and families. My goal is to bring the
best 'bits and pieces' of all 10 schools I've been
involved with, along with my academic preparation
and life experience, into one building.....Rose
Union.
Our teaching staff includes 20 Master's degrees, 6
teachers who have achieved National Board
Certification and three teachers who are currently
working on graduate degrees. We've been
contacted by four universities this year requesting
student teacher placements. We've mentored 10
student teachers and are delighted when they tell
us, "Rose Union teaches just the way we learned it's
supposed to be. "Teachers receive ongoing
professional development through their participation
in on-site book studies, teacher-led workshops and
intensive training including Schools Attuned which
builds on Dr. Mel Levine's work by teaching teachers
how to identify individual student strengths and
needs.
The goals of Rose Union are evident by the two
quotes you see when you walk into the building...
"Childhood is a journey...not a race."
And Bill Nye's quote,
"To all who visit here, have a safe journey and
the joy of discovery!"
We want all children to enjoy their adventure in
childhood while discovering a passion for learning.
We want to find each child's individual strengths
and nurture those strengths while building up areas
of need. We firmly believe that we must
educate the "whole child" which includes not only
cognitive development, but also social skills and
character development. A well-rounded child is
prepared to become a successful adult citizen.
We have implemented instructional strategies that
are grounded in research and considered current
'best practice' by professional organizations.
We want to teach in ways that enhance each student's
internal understanding of content, as well as
teaching children 'how to think' and problem solve.
We understand that the API is an important measuring
stick to society, but feel that instead of starting
with 'THE TEST', we want to focus on individual
student progress. We believe that if you take
each student where they are and move them as far as
he/she can go.....that truly "no child will be left
behind"!
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