Our Teachers -St. Johns!

by Lisa Farese

Year after year, St. Johns County Schools have ranked among the top schools in the state. In fact, they have been ranked first in the state, out of 67 other districts, based on FCAT points for the last five years. Additionally, the school system has been a grade A district for the past 10 years with 17 schools in the district being awarded an A in 2014. 
And while facts and figures are a great way to get a birds-eye view of our schools, we wanted to take a look at our district that goes beyond the numbers. We wanted to meet some of the dedicated individuals behind these facts and figures—our teachers.

Jeni West, Music Teacher at 
Timberlin Creek Elementary


     Originally from New Mexico, Jeni West moved to our area when her husband’s job transferred them here. Now in love with the climate, the schools for her children, the community and her church, West says the move has been “a blessing.”

     Having been involved in music since she was five, West continued to pursue her love of music throughout her school years and credits none other than her teachers as sources of inspiration. One in particular was Dr. John Peed. “He was one of those teachers who didn’t just teach, he cared,” she said. 

     While in college, she decided she wanted to teach music and first thought high school students would be her focus. However, another teaching mentor would show her a different path. “I had a great teacher who taught elementary music, and I learned what you could teach younger children,” West said. “I loved watching the light bulbs go off and seeing the wonder and smiles when they made beautiful music.” 

     Now at Timberlin Creek Elementary, she teaches music, organizes grade-level performances for the kindergarten, second and fifth grade classes as well as conducts several after-school music programs with more than 100 participating students. 
Outside of school, West is very involved in her church where she also shares her music talents. Not to mention, she enjoys spending time with her family. “These activities speak to how I am able to live life and maintain a positive attitude.” She said.

     And when it comes to students in her classroom, she hopes to inspire music in their lives for years to come. “I want students to know that music can be a part of their lives forever,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who you are, music can speak to you in some way.”


Derek Coghlan, English Teacher 
at Nease High School


     Originally from Ireland, Derek Coghlan came to visit a friend who lived nearby and discovered he liked the town of St. Augustine and decided to stay—that was 24 years ago. Today he still considers St. Augustine a great place to call home. “The people that are attracted to St. Augustine are the kind of people I like to hang out with,” he said. “We live in a town that everyone else wants to live in.”

     As a teacher in St. Johns County since 1997, he enjoys the opportunity to share his passions with students. “Teaching was something I always wanted to do, and I was always interested in English and history,” he said. “There was never anything else.”
It is going beyond the words that Coghlan likes best about teaching. “I enjoy introducing students to great literature and getting them to think about it and understand the ‘why’ behind it,” he said. “If they connect to it and understand that writing doesn’t exist in a vacuum, I get a better response to it, and that’s been my experience.”

     In his spare time, he enjoys putting on one-man shows, often of a humorous nature, partaking in soccer, acting as a wedding officiant, and announcing for mixed martial arts (MMA) tournaments. This, he believes, all ties back to his role in the classroom. “Good teaching in many ways is a performance,” he said. “You have to be on every day and for every class because there’s nowhere to hide in the classroom.”

     And students in Coghlan’s class don’t leave without the ability to question. “I hope students take away the idea that you need to question everything and that it’s OK to question things and disagree in a rational way,” he said. “We’ve got to have more thinkers; it’s the way forward.”  True to his practice in the classroom, Coghlan leaves us with a concept to think about. “Teachers, not business owners, are the real job creators,” he said. 

Rebecca Royal 
Fourth Grade Teacher 
at Palencia Elementary 

     Florida native Rebecca Royal first moved to St. Augustine as a college student after she was awarded a volleyball scholarship to play at Flagler College. And here she would stay upon graduation because of her love for the area. “I believe it is a small town with big events and so much to do,” Royal said. “St. Augustine has the perfect atmosphere.”

      As a teacher in the county for the past three years, and this year’s Rookie Teacher of the Year, Royal is a fourth-grade teacher at Palencia Elementary. Here she helps create “ah-ha” moments in the classroom for her students. “I love seeing the connection students make between previous knowledge and the new knowledge. It’s such a wonderful experience to see how excited they are when they are creating something like bank reinforcements to learn about erosion, and their project works,” she said. “Teaching is a rewarding profession because moments like these happen every day.”

     Royal also finds that one of her favorite pastimes, playing volleyball, helps her transform her classroom into a positive learning environment. “I believe that a successful classroom is one that has the same comradery as an athletic team,” she said. “Students need to feel comfortable in the classroom to make mistakes and take risks just as you do on a sports team. They need to realize that everyone works together to achieve a task or goal.”

      In addition to teamwork, she also hopes her students discover a love of learning, which can be easier than ever in the digital age. “Students in this day and age have everything so readily available to them,” Royal said. “If they want to learn about something, all they have to do is take out their technology device and look up anything on Google.” Of course, the love and inspiration to learn have to be there and often come from none other than our teachers.

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