Influential Woman · Education

Roe Robertson

Art teacher, scran

Scranton, PA

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor of Fine Arts in Architectural Interior Design from Marywood College Degree Master of Arts in Art Education from Marywood University

Her Story

About Roe

I've been in education for 28 years, and it's literally been a gift. Just when you think you've seen it all, there's something else to be seen. The kids are still the same overall through all the years - kids are kids - but every student's different. It's truly been a gift to go through almost 3 decades of different types of kids. The kids I had many, many years ago are in their 40s now, and I see them professionally. It's been the thrill of a lifetime to be able to teach. I'm a lifelong artist who started out in architectural interior design when I was in college. I went on one of my first jobs after school to put in a shelving system in a school district, and they put me in a room that happened to be the art room, an elementary art room that was empty. It was the fall, and at every table there was a carved pumpkin with little cups where the brushes were. I looked at the pumpkins and the work and thought, 'this is where I'm supposed to be.' I went home and told my mom, and she said 'it's never too late' and 'I wasn't sure what took you so long.' So I went back to school immediately for a degree in art education. I've been in the same district for 26 years. I'm an induction teacher - even though I'm an art teacher, I was chosen 4 years ago to teach the new teachers. I'm the facilitator of that program, and it is a joy and an honor two days a month to be able to teach our new teachers. It's been literally one of the joys of my life to teach adults.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Roe

01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I've ever received is 'it's never too late.' My mom told me that when I came home after discovering I wanted to be a teacher. I think that if I choose to retire in a few years, if that's going to be feasibly possible, it's never too late to try something different, or do something different, or do the same something in a different capacity with different types of kids or a different area. I just think that nothing's out of reach, never too late. If you work hard, and you're a good person, and you generally try to do the right thing every day, then I think you can't go wrong.

02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I would say to give it a chance. It's an honor to have your own students, and sometimes your own room. Not everyone is fortunate to have a room - some teachers travel, and it takes a couple of years to get situated - but I would tell them if they could just be patient. Enjoy the time off, and use the time off to rejuvenate and refresh, and work on themselves, professionally and personally, so that you're always going to be the best person that you can be for the kids.

03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

I would say that the whole school day is dependent on money and budget. There's so many things that the kids miss out on because of budget constraints and the lack of money. We would love to have our kids visit different art schools and museums, but it's horrible because we can get the kids there, sometimes we can get it paid for, we can get some transportation, and then the school district frowns on getting a substitute. That's very frustrating. So we've gotten creative in the last couple years, and we try to bring people in. Because of social media and technology, we're really able to show the kids different things all day long in the classroom that they might otherwise never have been able to see 20 or 30 years ago. We can take them on a tour in a museum. We utilize technology the best we can, but some of the challenges, unfortunately, are that we're dependent on money and budgets, which really stinks. But we do the best we can.

04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

I would say integrity and honesty. It's sometimes hard, especially when you're being an example to the kids, to tell them that honesty is the best policy. It might be hard, it's going to be difficult if you're in a certain situation, but I think you'll always come out on top if you're honest and loyal. You have integrity whether people are watching or not.

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