Janice Rose fell in love with literature after taking a Shakespeare class in college and decided that was the career path for her. After 25 years of teaching at Woodland High School, she feels it is time for her to retire from teaching while she still has great memories.

Rose grew up in Alaska but moved to California when she was eight years old. She attended Sacramento City College to earn her associate’s degree and then went on to Sacramento State, where she majored in architecture. However, after taking a Shakespeare class, she fell in love with literature.

She decided that this was the career path for her and started looking at what she could do with an English degree, and found teaching.

“I’d always thought I would like to teach someday. I always thought maybe teaching architecture, never realized I would be a high school English teacher, but I love it, there’s nothing better, I don’t think, than this position,” Rose shared.

She mentions that she was inspired to become a teacher by her ninth-grade English teacher, who would read books to them.

“I remember her so well and just so vividly and one of those things she did at the end of each class, if we got everything done, she would read to us from “David Copperfield” and it took her the entire year to read it, but it’s still my favorite book because she read to the students and that’s what I do, I read to my students. I like to get them engaged in the book,” she said.

She began her student teaching in Elk Grove, then moved to teach at Delta High School in Clarksburg, and later relocated to Woodland. Rose taught English at Woodland High School for 25 years and English in general for 32 years. She was also the yearbook advisor for the past five years.

Rose describes her teaching style as project-based and autonomous, as she primarily teaches seniors.

“I’m very project-based, I like to do a lot of projects, I’m kind of strict, but the kids know that there’s a purpose in this, and this is what we’re going for,” she shares. “I can be relaxed too. I teach seniors, and they’re incredibly driven; they’re autonomous. I just teach them what they need to know, and then I let them go and do it, and they work really well that way.”

Some of her favorite lessons to work on with her students are from the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” and Shakespeare’s plays. Her students recently finished up their poetry unit and worked on their final presentations before finals and graduation.

“I like teaching any Shakespeare, it doesn’t matter which play,” she said. “I like to teach Dracula, that’s one of my favorites. I also teach serial killers with my students; we research serial killers from a forensic standpoint. It’s very popular, the kids seem to like it.”

Rose shares that she has decided it is time to retire from teaching, as she still enjoys it and has fond memories from her time in the profession.

“I just think it’s time, I think I still really love what I do, and I’m afraid if it goes on too much longer, I might be one of those teachers that just wants out and doesn’t like it anymore, so I want to go while I still really enjoy it and have really fond memories of teaching,” she said

She says one of the hardest parts to let go of will be the memories and relationships she has developed with her students over her time teaching.

“I love the relationships I have with my students. I really feel like that’s what I’m going to miss the most, I think, is the kids,” Rose shares. “They’re a good group of people, you just have to kind of find the core and find out what they really value and go with that. But that’s going to be the hardest part to let go of. I think so, too, because I love it so much, I’m going to do a total separation from it, because I can’t be a sub.”

One of the things she’s enjoyed about teaching is seeing the aha moments from her students and getting to meet their needs.

“I just like the routine of it all,” she said. “I like to know that we have some wiggle room to do lessons the way the kids need, to meet their needs, but at the same time, you can impress them with what you can do, and I like that. I like it when they get that aha moment, I think that’s my favorite.”

Rose appreciates being part of the Woodland High School staff for all these years and the support from the administration.

“Administrators come and go, but I will say that we do have a really strong administrator. Our principal has been such a support system. We’ve had him as a vice principal, and he’s pretty much been the mainstay for the last three or four years, and he’s really, really supportive of all the staff, and I appreciate that,” she shares.

She has enjoyed being part of the Wolf team and will always cherish the place where she decided to settle in her career.

“I do mentor a lot of new teachers in the district, and I think I’m kind of proud of that too, because some of ours really turned out really strong teachers, and not just because of me, but because of the supportive programs that we offer them, the environment here,” she said. “I’m really proud to be a wolf. I think that this is my home. This is where I decided to settle career-wise, and it’s just become a really comfortable place for me to be, and that’s because of the support of the staff. They make you feel comfortable. They make you feel welcomed. We’re a part of a team, and there’s no doubt in the kids’ minds.”

Now that she is retiring, Rose says she plans to work on finishing her book. She is also an active member of the Soroptimist of Woodland group, which empowers young women through education, and hopes to take on a bigger role. She is going to work for the food closet through the program and also hopes to do a little more traveling, relaxing, and engaging in hobbies that she enjoys.