Ms. Roediger in the art room
There are a lot of teachers out there on planet Earth. In fact, in the United States alone, there are 6.2 million teachers, 71 percent of whom are women, according to the U.S. Census. However, not all teachers manage to paint, sculpt, do metalwork and run the Student Activities Board all while having over 150 students. Not all teachers do all of this and run marathons on the side. Not all teachers are as unique as Ms. Roediger. Most University High School students know Ms. Roediger as Ms. Stuart’s counterpart in Freshman Western Civilization or the AP Studio Art teacher. Ms. Roediger does all of this and manages to find the time to pursue her other passions which include running and art.
In fact, Ms. Roediger has been running marathons for “about eighteen years” but she says that “I’ve been running regularly in the mornings for about 25 years, since my daughter was five.” When Ms. Roediger first started running, she would run with her three dogs and sometimes her sons. Ms. Roediger has participated in numerous marathons before, but plans to keep running; she has another marathon coming up soon. On May 1, Ms. Roediger will be a runner in the Whiskey Row Marathon that is held in Prescott. The Whiskey Row Marathon is the oldest marathon held in Arizona, but oldest definitely does not mean easiest. The race starts at an elevation of 5,280 feet and “the elevation is going to go up 7500 feet,” Ms. Roediger said. She says that “it’s an altitude test.” Runners that run at high altitudes have to adjust to the reduced oxygen levels, which can be extremely challenging. Ms. Roediger has been training “since January” and she’s not racing alone. Her husband is going to be racing along with her. To train, Ms. Roediger and her husband have been practicing on the weekends and focusing on hills. Ms. Roediger says, “Usually one day a week we do sprints at the school, early in the morning.” Not only is Ms. Roediger a runner but she says, “I’m always cross training with swimming.” Along with swimming Ms. Roediger does yoga and she says that her favorite yoga move is the pigeon. When asked what her breakfast of champions is, Ms. Roediger goes for a simple, reliable choice: oatmeal with soy milk and a banana.
When Ms. Roediger is not running across mountain trails or teaching, she runs the Student Activities Board. She has been doing this for six years. Ms. Roediger says that, “It’s my last year.” The Student Activities Board has done many great things for the school like raising money for prom and planning University High School’s other events such as the Inaugural Ball. So, who would take her place? “I hope Rhiannon Patrick takes it,” says Ms. Roediger. “Just like any club the amount of time put in is squished,” she says. Ms. Roediger understands the amount of work put into clubs because she says, “Since my daughter was a freshman, I’ve been doing extracurricular for the high schools.” This adds up to twelve years. To sum her experience as the Student Activities Board advisor, Ms. Roediger says, “It’s been a thrill, but it’s time. Six years is good.”
Another one of Ms. Roediger’s multiple identities is an art teacher. Surprisingly, she says, “Drawing, I did not learn for quite a while.” Ms. Roediger focused on art in college and was exposed to a multitude of mediums like clay and metal. Her favorite medium, she says, “besides mixed compositions, is oil and pastels.” Ms. Roediger has a passion for teaching students art, but she does have a least favorite part: attendance. She says with a laugh, “I hate it every year; that’s what I’m going to work on.” However, “the seating chart does help.” Ms. Roediger teaches two periods that hold 60 students. Although this is a lot of students, “what helps is the art grading.” Ms. Roediger ends on an appreciative note by saying, “Besides the students that I work with I am assured that all the teachers I work with are doing the best that they can do. Everybody is doing their ‘do’. It’s a nice place to be in that respect.”
