Photo by Ryan C. Harris
Amanda Moore
Editor-in-Chief
April 28, 2006
|
|
|
Professor of Education Carol Roose Photo by Ryan C. Harris |
As graduating students don their cap and gowns next week,
Professor of Education Carol Roose will be stepping out of hers as she retires
from a 17-year career at Milligan College.
Roose has been in the classroom 44 years - 7 and a half in public schools and 36
and a half on college campuses. She came to Milligan, the fifth college at which
she taught, in the spring of 1989 after serving as director of education at the
previous college.
While at Milligan, Roose taught classes for elementary and middle grades and
worked in the education graduate program.
"Working with the grad students is great fun," Roose said. "They come from all
different kinds of classrooms and are so anxious to learn."
Roose's after-retirement plans are "very vague," she said. "That makes me a
little nervous."
She is in the process of selling her 11-room house and plans to buy something a
bit smaller. Roose said she will remain in the area unless she cannot find a
house to live in.
Although Roose's after-retirement ideas are vague, she is sure she will
incorporate traveling into her plans.
"I have a friend from grade school who lives in California," Roose said. "We
always talked about all the things we would do after retirement. Now I'm
retiring and she's all the way out there."
Her retirement will also provide more time to visit with her two grandchildren
who live in Ohio.
In June, Roose will travel to Mississippi with the Christian Action Team from
her church to frame houses in an area hit by Hurrican Katrina.
Volunteer activities will be a permanent part of her retirement. She has applied
to become a long-term volunteer for Mennonite Disaster Relief Team, an
organization she has connected with through a member of her church.
When asked about the thing that has changed most during her teaching career,
Roose said it was "outside interference in the classroom, particularly with
standardized testing."
"Teachers have always been told what to teach; now they're being told how to
teach," Roose said. "This doesn't take into account the effect on the students
(These changes) made me very unhappy. I don't know how to deal with it in a
constructive way."
Although Roose does not have as much government interference at the
post-secondary level of teaching, she has to teach her students how to handle
these interferences and how to not lose focus on the purpose of teaching.
"We don't teach to the subject; that's what we teach," Roose said. "We teach
students."
Roose believes that both her students and the professors taking her place will
continue to remember the importance of teaching.
"I have confidence they're going to hang on to what is valuable, at least for a
little bit," Roose said.
When asked the worst thing about her teaching career, without pausing for
thought, Roose responded, "Grades."
"Grading papers is the worst part of teaching, no matter where you work," she
said.
However bad grading papers is, that cannot persuade Roose to stay out of the
classroom. She plans to remain in the classroom in some way.
"I see myself being a teacher again," she said. "I just need some time off."
Roose enjoyed her time at Milligan, interacting with both faculty and students.
"The faculty at Milligan is absolutely fantastic. You don't realize that unless
you have worked at a place outside of Milligan," Roose said. "And being with
students keeps you young,"
"It's been a great ride," Roose said.