Ms. Janet Rose--A tribute(and no, she is NOT dead!)

Ms. Janet Rose at the Induction Ceremony for National Honor Society

May 2010, KHS

Recently we were invited to attend the induction ceremony for the NHS at Kearney High School. As part of the ceremony they had asked Ms. Janet Rose to be the keynote speaker. I was thrilled. I was even more excited yesterday as I found the above picture of her in an online photo album someone had created. NICE!

Ms. Rose has been the Speech and Debate coach at the high school here for years. I met her when I first moved to town almost eleven years ago. I had been thinking about getting my teaching credential and so in the midst of taking some teacher education classes, I ventured into Ms. Rose's high school speech class. I have to tell you, Ms. Rose is a master in the classroom. She really had a wonderful way with the students and they loved her. It was a nice treat and I loved coming into her class everyday and getting to know her.

As it turned out, I realized that high school teaching wasn't for me and I was offered a job teaching English to International students at UNK and so it all worked out in the end.

As Ms.Rose spoke she used the analogy of the "BEE" to make her points. It was fabulous. She used wonderful stories from her personal life to make her points. These stories were sincere and not always "perfect." She has had some painful and very had to swallow moments in her life. She has ALWAYS risen above these moments and come out "smelling the roses."

A few years ago she had a stroke. I was so sad when I heard this. I wondered how she would be able to recover enough to come back into the classroom. But she did! She came back and more. I can't even see any permanent scars. AMAZING!

To me, Ms. Rose is a hero. She is a quiet hero. She is the one who lives her life doing all that she can and more and even in the worst situations rises above them. She deserves retirement. She has earned the chance to sleep-in. She should have someone serving her breakfast in bed every morning and cleaning her house and driving her places. She really has been given a life that most would have failed at. She really is a hero!

Thank you Ms. Rose for your outstanding example! Enjoy the rest of your life!