A Rose Valley Elementary School teacher was honored as the Prince George’s County Public Schools “Teacher of the Month” for January.

Jewel Parks, a sixth-grade teacher at the Fort Washington school began teaching 10 years ago and has spent her entire teaching career in Prince George’s County schools, according to school system officials.

She earned her Bachelor’s of Arts in elementary education from Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina and will complete her Master of Science in educational administration from Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C., this May, according to system officials.

She is a member of Rose Valley’s school leadership team, school planning and management team and school interview committee and was also a writer for Prince George’s County curriculum from 2007 to 2011 and was a delegate for the Maryland State Teachers’ Convention in 2011, according to system officials.

“I love teaching because of the looks that come across the faces of my students during those ‘ah-ha’ moments when I know they’ve ‘got it’ and I’m the one that helped them get there,” said Parks in a statement. “As a teacher, I inspire students to seek knowledge and to consistently broaden their horizons.”

djgross@gazette.net