By: Alisa Oden and Diana Prudius

February 2, 2021

 Shanice Roddey is a 6th grade English AA teacher. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, where most of her family lives. She went to college at Hampton University in Virginia. Before she decided to become a teacher, Ms. Roddey wanted to be a lawyer but realized that teaching was the right choice for her. She wanted to help all students be prepared for college, which is something she had to do on her own when she was in school. She also worked as a server, where she met her husband.

Ms. Roddey has taught for 8 years in all; 4 years teaching 12th-grade language arts, and 4 years teaching language arts at Glasgow. She has a Master’s degree in teaching.

Even as a kid, Ms. Roddey loved school. She was very social and had fun talking and being with friends. She was a great student too and got good grades despite her chattiness. “I would get excited, preparing my books, and practicing my penmanship before school,” she said. 

“In 8th grade, I truly fell in love with language arts.” She had a very strict English teacher, but the way he taught literature was like nothing she had ever seen. From the books to the grammar, she knew she wanted it to be in her future.

When asked what her favorite part of teaching was, she said that she loves working with students from various backgrounds. Teaching kids of different cultures and ethnicities and learning more about them is one of her favorite parts of working at Glasgow. 

She also said she loves the “aha” moment students get when they finally get something. “It makes my day seeing the students actually learning,” she said. ”The positive impact on my students is such a great part of teaching. Although it’s not my role to help students with their personal lives, it is my role as an educator to look out for my students and make sure they are okay.”

The pandemic is a difficult time for everyone, especially teachers. Ms. Roddey said that managing her time between family and school is especially hard. She has a husband and a son, so it’s important to her to be able to be with them. She makes sure to shut down her laptop at 4 p.m to spend time with her son. She used to spend so much time grading, as well as tutoring and teaching creative writing classes, that she felt she wasn’t giving her son all the attention he needed. She added that making lists and schedules helps her stay organized and productive.

The pandemic has also affected Ms. Roddey’s routine at school. “The pandemic has made me even more understanding of what students go through, and how different students go through different things and have different responsibilities.” These hard times have made her more flexible and creative when it comes to finding ways to keep her students engaged. She tries to stay more positive and upbeat for her students since they aren’t face to face and it’s harder to connect online.  Even with the challenges, Ms. Roddey continues to keep an open mind during these hard times.

One of Ms. Roddey’s favorite hobbies is watching Netflix. She loves the show “Sister, Sister”, a 90s sitcom, as well as watching all the old shows coming back on Netflix. She’s also part of a book club with her colleagues from Glasgow and her old school. She enjoys journaling, which helps her stay calm and peaceful. Of course, spending time with her son will always be her favorite hobby, whether it is nerf gun fights or playing Jenga. 

In all Ms. Roddey is such a hardworking and kind person, who deserves all the appreciation she can get. Students are lucky to have her as a teacher!