About the Teacher

Name: Rhonda Lancon

School: Riverside Elementary

Grade: First

Phone number: 985-863-3141


First grade is a rewarding, but challenging, grade to teach.  This year is my 
5th year teaching 1st grade.  I taught Kindergarten for one year when I first 
moved to St. Tammany Parish.

I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, 
Louisiana with a Bachelor of Arts degree.  I plan to return to Nicholls in 
pursuit of my masters degree in either Early Childhood Education or Reading 
Specialist.  

I am married and have 3 daughters:  Alexa, Christy-Anne, and Taylor.  Alexa 
is an 9th grader at Pearl River High School.  Christy-Anne is in 6th grade, 
and Creekside Junior High School, and Taylor is in 3nd grade at Riverside.  

I was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, but I grew up in Dulac, Louisiana.  
I moved here in 2003 and have not stopped moving:  I lived in Covington, 
Mandeville, and Pearl River for about a year each.  I have been living in 
Slidell for 3 years now.
My missiion is to provide my students with a secure, caring, and stimulating 
atmosphere in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, 
physically, and socially. It is my desire as a educator to help students meet 
their fullest potential in these areas by providing an environment that is 
safe, supports risk-taking, and invites a sharing of ideas. I believe the 
following three elements are conducive to establishing such an environment:
(1) the teacher acting as a guide 
(2) allowing the child's natural curiosity to direct his/her learning
(3) promoting respect for all things and all people.

My mission is to provide my students with access to information rather than 
acting as the primary source of information. I feel that in order for 
students to construct knowledge, they need the opportunity to discover for 
themselves and practice skills in authentic situations. Providing students 
access to hands-on activities and allowing adequate time and space to use 
materials that reinforce the lesson being studied creates an opportunity for 
individual discovery and construction of knowledge to occur. 

My mission is to develop a curriculum around student interests that fosters 
intrinsic motivation and stimulates the passion to learn. One way to take 
learning in a direction relevant to student interest is to invite student 
dialogue about the lessons and units of study. Given the opportunity for 
input, students generate ideas and set goals that make for much richer 
activities than I could have created or imagined myself. 

My mission is to help students to develop a deep love and respect for 
themselves, others, and their environment.  Class meetings are one way to 
encourage such dialogue. In setting fair and consistent rules initially and 
stating the importance of every activity, students are shown respect for 
their presence and time. In turn they learn to respect themselves, others, 
and their environment.

My mission is to instill a love of learning in my students, as I share my own 
passion for learning with them.