Aymer Rojas
Position: Spanish Teacher
School: Seven Oaks Elementary School
School District: District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties
City, State: Columbia, SC
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Aymer Rojas has been nominated by an acquaintance who wishes to remain anonymous.
Mr. Rojas has been working in his district for two years. As an itinerant Spanish teacher, he teaches in three different schools in the district. He has been able to reach the students in those schools and make them love Spanish class so much that it has quickly become their favorite. One day, when he missed a day and was not able to teach the class, his students got upset.
Mr. Rojas has left a positive trace in the schools were he has taught. He gets along with all the faculty members and is missed when he leaves to teach in other schools in the same district. Mr. Rojas just received his credential as a technology instructor and has given workshops using technology in the classroom.
He has often been called "a good sport," volunteering in extracurrricular activities at school. He was voted Teacher of the Year in 2012 while teaching high school and nominated as a Master Teacher by the South Carolina Independent School Association.
As coach of the soccer team, Mr. Rojas' team played an eighth grader with special needs, and the two teams gave him an opportunity to score. After he scored the goal, both teams made an effort to make the experience something the student would never forget.
"I think he is an educator who touches students' lives and is always thinking about giving his best by not only teaching, but by volunteering his time," the nominator said.
I teach children with Autism at Ballentine Elementary School in Irmo, South Carolina. This is one of the schools where Senor Rojas teaches Spanish. It is sometimes difficult to find teachers who are not scared or intimidated by my students behavior, cognitive, social, communication disabilities. Senor Rojas has always welcome my students. He meets my students "where they are" to teach Spanish. He is creative in his instruction and the way he differentiates his instruction to each students needs. He is energetic and is genuinely happy to see the students. He uses puppets, songs, technology, and even magic tricks to make the lesson more engaging and the content more meaningful for my students. My students love going to his class because he welcomes them in whole-heartedly and understands that they are children first and does not define them by their disability.
He is always a team player and ready to jump in whenever and where ever he is needed. He is an all around great teacher and colleague!
Very proud of Mr.Rojas.. he is one of the most amazing Spanish teacher I have met.. and I had the privilege of working with him last year.. and I truly can say he is amazing..
Senor Rojas is an excellent teacher. He is dedicated to language learning and goes above and beyond to ensure that his students are actively engaged in learning. He is always very excited about teaching and learning. He is very creative and always implementing new ideas to foster learning in the classroom. He is an exemplary teacher and it is a pleasure to work with him.
Senor Rojas has limitless energy! I teach students with Autism, Speech and Language Impairment, and Developmental Disabilities in the elementary school age range. We weren't sure how our students would respond to receiving Related Areas instruction in Spanish, when communicating with English can already be such a challenge. They LOVED attending Spanish every week! From the beginning he sought our assistance in learning the best ways to engage our students and meet them at their variety of ability levels. He was thoughtful and creative in choosing the activities used to teach, such as using visual aids, songs, and LOTS of movement. I would hear from parents asking what a certain word meant because the students were going home and singing songs and repeating words they've learned. What an awesome experience! What meant so much as an educator of students with special needs was not just that Mr. Rojas took the time to learn about my students, but that he was excited about the challenge and viewed it as a positive opportunity. Our students learned that Spanish was fun and learned that they were important to their teacher Mr. Rojas. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with him and for his love for my students.
Mr. Rojas IS a lifechanger.
His passion for teaching students and adults to love the Spanish language and culture is contagious. Mr. Rojas always has an upbeat, positive energy when he is in our school.
As an iterant Spanish teacher in Columbia, SC he skyped with a class similar in age in Colombia, South America. Our students were able to ask questions in Spanish to the Colombian students and see what their classrooms looked like, a valuable experience bringing the world closer together.
Mr. Rojas also uses any tool available including technology to engage his students in learning. He videotaped himself conducting a lesson and then was able to create “magic” as he did the lesson live while teaching students a msut see lesson!
He also is a life changer for the entire school, he took his students outside and they drew pictures of clothes and labeled them in Spanish, the entire afternoon and morning carline could learn Spanish as they walked into the school or to their car in the afternoon.
It’s these creative, fun and positive learning experiences that students will remember and change their lives long after their class has ended.
Mr. Rojas is such a pleasure to work with. He is such an enthusiastic and fun teacher.l. As our school's digital technology specialist, I love working with Mr. Rojas because he is always coming up with creative and fun ways to incorporate technology in order to make learning fun and relevant for the students. He always has a kind word and funny comment for every child and adult he encounters. He is definitely a life changer in our district!
I had the joy of working with Mr. Rojas last school year. As the school counselor, I am lucky to get to peek into everyone's classrooms. Every time I entered his room, his children were engaged and learning. In many cases, I would stop by his room to pick up a child and the child would request to finish the activity in Mr. Rojas's class before heading with me. Mr. Rojas is an individual with a positive attitude and energetic personality. He makes connections with students, which makes them invest in what he is teaching!
Teaching children to learn another language is a difficult enough task. Teaching children to LOVE to learn another task is something only a teacher like Sr. Rojas can do! Both of my children adored going to his class because he treats his students like people, not inferior, not "too young," not as "just kids." And he does this in a way that uses humor, short video clips, an animated teaching style, eye contact, and genuine enthusiasm for whatever he can offer to others. The most amazing result, then, is that these students don't even realize how much Spanish they just learned! All they remember is that they had fun and that Sr. Rojas is awesome.
Mr. Rojas was always one of my favorite teachers. He taught me Spanish in high school, and his class is the class that first sparked my interest in Spanish, and I have gone on to use it daily in my job and to pursue it as one of my passions. Mr. Rojas always made class interesting and exciting; I am grateful to him for showing me how much fun Spanish can be!
Mr. Rojas is an amazing teacher! He makes learning fun for all, students and teachers alike. You can't help but smile and laugh in his presence. He deserves to be recognized as a life changer because his joy for life and teaching is contagious. Mr. Rojas is an all around great person, he makes the world around him a little brighter!
Mr. Rojas was my high school Spanish teacher. He always made learning fun and really bonded with the kids. He was probably my first exposure to a different culture in SC. Really appreciate the impact he made on us.
Señor Rojas was one of the most engaging teachers I had in high school. Not only is he a wonderful Spanish teacher and soccer coach, he a kind and caring person who is truly deserving of this award.
This is awesome! Your energy motivates students to learn Spanish. Thank you!!
I had Mr. Rojas in high school at Orangeburg Prep, and he really cares about his students. I knew him way before I ever had him as a teacher because he also refereed my recreational soccer games. He still keeps up with what I do today. In high school, he always had fun ways to help us get excited about Spanish and not just be bored staring at a book. He's great in a classroom setting because he doesn't make it feel like a classroom at all.
Aymer's enthusiasm for teaching children is evident in all of his classes. He is creative and inspires each and every student he works with. I am proud to call Aymer a dear friend and former colleague.
Mr Rojas is a wonderful teacher, he makes learning fun for the students. He's also a great soccer coach. Mr Rojas truly loves his profession and it shows!
Most enthusiastic, caring, sincere man. He came to this country to learn and teach. He does so much more than teach a Spanish lesson! !!!! We need more teachers like Mr. Rojas who truly care about kids! !!
