THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 31, 1994 TAG: 9407280217
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 53 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BUXTON LENGTH: Long : 121 lines
IN THE EARLY 1970s, Reed Rhodes was like others of his generation, trying to ``find myself'' after graduating from Georgia Tech.
``I worked a lot of different jobs,'' said Rhodes. ``I did sales, carpentry, housekeeping, all sorts of things. I had several friends who were teachers, and I was envious that they had a profession.''
He decided to take a graduate course in education at East Carolina University, under Dr. David Powers, a choice that Rhodes called a turning point in his life.
``I made 100 on the midterm, and 100 on a presentation, and I set a goal to make 100 on the final. Dr. Powers said he would grade the papers and mail us the results. I would have never done that for anybody. I've never met a teacher like him at the university level. He was so committed to his students and to classroom teaching.''
Powers' commitment was contagious. Rhodes went on to earn a master's from East Carolina, and in 1985 a doctorate from UNC-Chapel Hill. He now works with exceptional children at Cape Hatteras School. Not only has he ``found himself'' professionally, Rhodes was honored as regional ``Teacher of the Year'' by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction for 1993-94.
A day in any teacher's life is anything but average. But Rhodes' daily routine begins while his students are still tucked in their beds, hours before the first school bell will ring.
A normal day begins at 3 a.m., though this summer he rewards himself with an extra 30 minutes in the rack (``I'm throwing caution to the wind,'' he says). He alternates between running four miles on the beach near his Avon home, and lifting weights for 90 minutes. Then he tends to his eight cats, with names like Lagniappe (Creole for small bonus), Wynona (not for Wynona Judd or Rider, but because there is a ``Y'' on the cat's head), and k.d. (for the singer k.d. lang) and breakfasts on freshly made juice. He then stands on his head and meditates for 15 minutes. His day at school usually begins around 7 a.m.
``I've always lived a very regimented life,'' Rhodes says. ``I've never been one to dally around. I tried sleeping in until 3:15 during the school year. But I found I needed that extra 15 minutes. I didn't have time to do all the things I wanted to do.''
Last year, the 44-year-old Rhodes collaborated with a regular classroom teacher to help exceptional children (those students with special needs who are physically, mentally or emotionally challenged) mainstream into civics and physical science. This year, he will do the same with biology and physical science. He will also teach three periods of ``Techniques for Success'' to provide exceptional students with additional help in their academic classes, and work with three senior English students. All of this is part of a movement known as inclusion.
``My first teaching job was teaching chemistry in a relatively affluent high school,'' says Rhodes, who is single. ``I think those kids would have succeeded in school whether I was there or not. But in teaching exceptional kids, you realize that you can really have an impact on whether they succeed or fail.
``Exceptional children need someone to give them that little extra push, some extra help that they might not get if I'm not there. I'm sure there are kids who wouldn't have graduated if I hadn't been there.''
Rhodes' students experience triumphs that many would take for granted, something as small as being able to eat in a lunchroom, or as large as overcoming dyslexia to graduate and go on to college.
``There was a kid who had very limited social skills, and every time he went to eat in the lunchroom there was some kind of blowup. We worked with him and got him to the point where he could eat with other students,'' Rhodes says.
Occasionally for Rhodes, students come along that unknowingly affirm the career choice he made years before as a graduate student. Such was the case with a boy named Eric, whom Rhodes taught during a stint at a Norfolk school.
``Eric was severely dyslexic, and he had a profound reading and spelling disability. But he was the smartest exceptional student I've worked with. He was a gifted photographer, artist and athlete, and in every other area he was a shining example. The day that I told him that I was leaving the school, he cried. I'll never forget the look on his face. He had never thought about going to college, but he said I was the one who gave him the push he needed.''
Eric is now a philosophy major at James Madison University, with a minor in elementary education.
``This is a smart kid,'' Rhodes says. ``He sees relationships between ideas that I don't see. Very few teachers have the opportunity to know the impact they've had on individual students. Our students make me aware of the difference you can make.''
With an earned doctorate, Rhodes could have easily settled into the life of an academic on a college campus. But the demands of ``publish or perish'' were not for him.
``When I was sitting in education classes in graduate school, there were a lot of people who knew a lot about education in books, but I was skeptical about their knowledge in terms of practical experience. I never really enjoyed research at the university level, and there's so much pressure to do research articles and generate funding there. I like teaching in the public schools. I would like to see more Ph.D.'s in the public school classes as part of an exchange. You can't learn how to teach until you do it. An exchange would help us as teachers to refine our skills.''
With his credentials, Rhodes could also easily move to higher-paying school districts or on to an administrative post. Rhodes says it was a life choice.
``I always wanted to live here. I own a home here now. There's a quality of life issue. There's clean air, minimum crime, and you've got recreational opportunities at your doorstep. And, there's a great sense of community among the people.''
In terms of a move out of the classroom, Rhodes says, ``I don't see myself filling out reports. You can't get to know kids by walking into a classroom once a month. You have to be there day-in, day-out. I'd rather make an impact every day.''
For Rhodes, the impact is sometimes manifested in unexpected ways.
``I was teaching in Wilson and had a few learning disabled kids. One of the kids pointed at me and said, `I want to be just like he is.' There's real joy in that.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Reed Rhodes, who works with exceptional children at Cape Hatteras
School, begins his day at 3 a.m. in order to do all the things he
wants to do.
KEYWORDS: PROFILE TEACHER OF THE YEAR
by CNB