 Warning! Please wear sunglasses to read this article. Dr. Roxie McBride’s glowing reputation as part of MRSH’s National Faculty just may shine too brightly for the naked eye. Although a resident of Oklahoma, Roxie-sightings in schools across the country are not uncommon, for she is indeed a busy woman. She has been a MRSH trainer for nearly 4 years and was recently selected as one of the team to present Literacy Now!™, MRSH’s new literacy package, to school districts nationwide.
After 14 years as an elementary and secondary teacher and 19 years as a principal, Dr. McBride admits this fall is unusual. “It’s the first time in 55 years I’m not getting ready to start school,” she says. “I always loved school. I liked the feeling that I was not just making a living…I was making a difference.”
So what does she do with all her spare time now that she is retired? “What spare time?” she asks. “I basically retired so I could go to work. My new career with MRSH allows me to continue to work with teachers and students and, yet, have some personal time.”
That personal time is full, indeed. Right after claiming, “I’m not very exciting,” she talked about golfing, touring the country with her husband in their 40-foot RV, and riding about together on their Harley-Davidson®! At first, she was not interested in RVing. “That’s what old people do,” she said. “But, it has turned out to be great fun.” Family and football are her other passions. She and her husband have a daughter and son, both attorneys, and a pair of “granddogs” she proudly photographs.
Professionally, Dr. McBride believes it is crucial for students to experience success. “I am from Oklahoma City,” she says, “and I recall that after the bombing, dogs were brought in to rescue trapped people. Tragically, the dogs became discouraged as they met with no success in locating survivors. So, firemen would go in and hide under the debris so the dogs could be successful. This gave them the encouragement to continue looking.”
“We need to find ways for our students to be successful so they will be encouraged and continue trying.” Dr. McBride’s personal and professional relationships reflect this philosophy. When asked to describe her, colleagues and school personnel repeatedly used these words: energetic, inspiring, competent, conscientious, fun, and encouraging. “I am always happy to have Dr. McBride in my school,” says one administrator. “She shows us what to do, and then she makes us believe we can do it.”
That’s what a teacher should do. That’s Roxie McBride.
October 2005
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