Just weeks before the start of the school year, the Jones College Prep science department welcomed Jellyxa Rogel to teach chemistry

“I am so grateful for this opportunity and for Jones for bringing me on,” said Rogel. “I know it was a quick and sudden transition, but I think it has all aligned well for the school and for myself.”

The Jones science teachers helped incorporate her into their team, which made up for the lack of time she had to prepare before the year started. 

“The chemistry team has been amazing. We meet like, at least two, sometimes three times a week,” said Rogel. “They’ve been really helpful and very supportive, I think the connection is there.”

Along with the teachers helping her transition, Rogel can also see her students supporting their teacher.

“It’s been really nice having some students really appreciate the energy and effort that it takes to do this,” said Rogel. “I really appreciate how they put in the work and make the classes better.”

Her students understand that their teacher is still learning the ropes but they enjoy the time they spend in her class.

“I feel like she’s a good teacher, I can definitely see her learning as she goes,” said Agatha Harrison ‘26. “She’s learned that our table likes paper copies so she’s pre-printed out the paper copies for us, which is really nice.”

Current chemistry students enjoy her teaching style so far. 

“At first I was worried about chem class and how hard it would be but I’m having a good time and I think Ms. Rogel is able to help me understand the class,” said Parker Paduck ‘26.  

Even in the short time that Rogel has held her position, she is already working to incorporate methods of teaching that she would have preferred as a student.

“One of the teaching strategies that works best for me is small group or one-on-one teaching,” said Rogel. “In high school, it was all lectures, but I think it’s a lot easier to reach the students when I teach in smaller groups.”

Her students are noticing these choices and mention that they feel they benefit from them in their learning.

“I’ve heard that some other chem teachers are harder to learn from but I feel like Ms. Rogel is a good teacher when it comes to explaining topics,” said Agatha Harrison ‘26.

After Rogel completed her undergraduate degree, she planned on getting her master’s and teaching license, but her plans quickly changed. 

“I was told by a UIC masters student about an emergency license, where I could teach with a temporary license for three years,” said Rogel. “I was then told about Jones and how they were looking for a temporary teacher, and it all fell together very quickly.”

Though she found her calling as a teacher, Rogel originally planned on pursuing medicine. 

“I actually went into undergrad at a pre-med,” said Rogel. “I figured since I was good at science, I’d just become a doctor.”

Even though being a doctor was her original goal, she always appreciated her teachers and eventually discovered her interest in joining the teaching field. 

“During high school, I knew that I admired my teachers, especially the ones who put in the effort to get to know their students,” said Rogel. “When I was talking to my RA in college, he said ‘You completely light up when you’re talking about teaching. Have you ever considered teaching?’ and that made me admit that I wanted to be a teacher.”

Before she decided on becoming a teacher, Rogel loved chemistry, which carried over into what she wanted to teach.

“I’ve always loved chemistry. My chemistry teachers were amazing and it’s just a very fun subject, almost like a puzzle,” said Rogel. “It’s kind of mind boggling to think what’s going on everywhere, like at the subatomic particle level, and I think we take that for granted all the time.”

Rogel noted that she appreciates her current opportunity to teach but still hopes of getting her official teacher certification.

“I’m really glad that I had the opportunity to have a taste of teaching high school chemistry before going for my masters,” said Rogel.

While the certification process is tedious, Rogel is determined to advance her career and become a permanent part of the Jones community.

“Even though it’s exhausting and tiring, there’s still nothing else that I would rather be doing,” said Rogel.