From Hollywood to Crestwood, Roger Jenkins’ career as a teacher had led him to Peterborough where he’s helping student athletes succeed in the classroom as well.
Jenkins and his family moved from LA to Oshawa when he was young, and he knew he wanted to be an educator when he was roughly 14 years old as a student at GL Roberts in Oshawa because of some fantastic teachers he had.
Throughout his career there have certainly been speed bumps, however Jenkins says his biggest challenge was overcoming systemic racism. Growing up Black, Jenkins says his grandparents and parents did not have the opportunity to own land and build generational wealth. When he married his wife, Jen, she accepted his $65,000 debt and says his children are his biggest success.
Fast forward to today, he’s a physical education teacher at Crestwood and has created the Edge program, that helps student athletes.
He says his advice to anyone thinking about getting into educating is to start early, and work hard. To hear his complete story, listen to the link below.
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