Faculty Spotlight: Rochelle Mitchell

What is your official position at the college? How long have you been at the college?

“My official position at Green River is [a math] instructor. I have been working here for 22 years, most all have been good years, and I have always loved my teaching job. I love my students, and I’ll never do anything else.”

How did you come to teach at Green River?

“I applied right out of graduate school to about five or six different jobs. I got a couple offers, but when I came here I fell in love with the environment. Not only because of the beautiful scenery, but I loved the feel of the faculty in the interview. Some of the other interviews I had been to felt sterile, but at Green River it was different. I felt like it was a community already, and I liked that.”

Is the subject you are teaching now the initial thing you set out to study? Did you change majors at all?

“I never changed majors. I went to a community college myself, and I didn’t at that time really know what I was going to do. I knew I liked math and I knew I liked helping people. I knew I was going to have to work with people for sure, if I didn’t work for people I would be miserable. So, I started tutoring at my community college, and I had also tutored my friends in high school in previous years. That’s when I realized I could combine the two things I really enjoy into a career.”

What do you do when you are not at school? What hobbies do you have?

“I have children, so I think at this point, my children are my hobbies. I have three children, one is 10 years old, and I have boy/girl twins who are seven. I don’t have a lot of time to do other things, but I do enjoy just being with people. Hanging out with friends and family. I also like to play an occasional sport, I’ve recently taken up pickleball and found that to be a lot less difficult on the body than basketball. I used to play basketball—I still do with my kids, but I’m kinda getting older—it’s not as easy as it was when I was 22.”

What is the best experience you have had in one of your classes?

“I have had so many great experiences. I think what makes them great are the students. There are always great students in every class, and when I say great students, it is not just the ones who get a 4.0., it is also the students that want to learn. The students who start to get excited about math—even if it is a little bit. I think the greatest experiences are getting the students to a point where they are not dreading coming to class, and they begin to understand things they did not understand before. Being able to make an impact on students and to see it is the best experience.”

What is your biggest accomplishment?

“I think getting this job and earning tenure is an accomplishment of mine, but my greatest accomplishment is having [and] raising my kids. That’s huge.”

What was your very first job?

“I worked for the city of Poulsbo. I [emptied] garbage cans and cleaned bathrooms. I also mowed lawns. In particular, the cemetery, so I was basically a grounds worker, but I actually went back and did it for three different summers.”

If you had the choice to be anything other than a teacher, what would you be?

“That’s hard because I can’t imagine doing anything else. It would have to be an occupation that involves helping people. I could see myself working at a hospital or at some kind of care facility for older people. I don’t know if I could deal with the blood, but I would be more than happy to interact with people.”