THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 22, 1995 TAG: 9509220484
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
If public school teachers had a hall of fame, Roosevelt Moseley would deserve a spot.
Moseley, a social studies teacher at Lake Taylor High School, is the Cal Ripken Jr. of the classroom, the iron man of education.
When it comes to setting a record, Moseley ranks right up there with Ripken, the Baltimore Orioles shortstop who made baseball history this month with his 13-year string of 2,131 consecutive games.
Many people might argue that Moseley's feat is more impressive: In 24 years of teaching, he has missed only one day of work - and even then, he came in that night to help monitor a football game.
Since September 1973, Moseley, 47, hasn't missed a day of class. That adds up to a streak of some 4,180 work days over 22 years without an absence.
``Nobody (at the school) comes near matching that kind of record,'' said Lake Taylor Principal John C. Osteen. ``It's unbelievable. As far as kids struggling to get to school and developing good citizenship, he's a prime example of what it takes to be successful.''
Administration officials discovered Moseley's record amid the national hoopla over Ripken's triumph and a stew in Virginia Beach over a new school attendance policy.
The Beach policy, nearly identical to one adopted last year by the Norfolk School Board, allows principals to flunk students who miss more than 10 days of class in a semester - regardless of whether the absences are excused or unexcused.
In Norfolk, the policy was credited for a 5 percent improvement in attendance at some schools.
While Moseley's accomplishment came quietly - no Letterman's Top 10 list, no presidential visit - Norfolk officials said they hope his example will inspire students and fellow teachers.
``This guy's amazing,'' said Eddie P. Antoine II, the school district's director of personnel. ``Gosh, we need more people like him.''
Antoine said studies show that the average teacher misses about seven days of school a year, based on a 190-day contract - a 3 percent absentee rate.
``He's someone the students can count on,'' said Carrie Glemzu, a teaching intern at Lake Taylor who is a senior at Old Dominion University and a former student of Moseley's. ``I hope I can follow in his shoes and show up every day.''
Kevin Rawls, a sophomore in Moseley's ethnic studies class, said the teacher ``inspires pride in his students. He makes me feel like attending school every day.''
Besides loving his job, Moseley, a Norfolk native, said he was reared in a family that embraced the work ethic.
``They did not tolerate any laziness,'' Moseley said of his parents.
When he was hired as a teacher in 1971, Moseley didn't have a car. So he shared a ride with his mom, a school cafeteria manager who had to report to work at 6 a.m. Moseley usually had to wait about 30 minutes for custodians to arrive and open the school; then he had another hour before classes began.
``But that worked out fine because it gave me an extra hour for planning,'' Moseley said.
``I chose this job, it didn't choose me, and I feel like I have an obligation to be here to do it,'' Moseley said.
It helps to be blessed with good health, Moseley said. The day he missed back in '73 was for business. Antoine said Moseley has racked up more than 300 days of sick leave.
``I wake up with a headache sometimes, and sometimes I don't feel good,'' Moseley said, ``but I push myself and say, `I'll feel better,' and most days I do. We all have good days and bad days. I can say that most of mine have been good.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Paul Aiken, Staff
Roosevelt Moseley has racked up more than 300 unused sick days in
his 24 years at Lake Taylor High School.
by CNB