Sallyport - The Magazine of Rice University - Winter 2002

Welcome Back, Mrs. Rozek - Who's Who
Rozek described MacNicol, who stars as John Cage on the hit show, as an
outgoing student who was involved in drama and debate. She was surprised
that he selected a world history teacher as his favorite rather than a drama
or debate coach.
When she met MacNicol at the photo shoot in L.A., he mentioned several
things that made her stand out as a teacher. He told her and the organizers
of the advertising campaign that “when you went into her classroom, you
knew you were going to work and do things.” In some other classes, he
said, students would waste the hour and, before long, an entire week would
go by and nothing had been learned.
“He also said that I treated them like adults,” Rozek recounted. “I don’t
remember that. I thought of them as students, but I felt that students should
be respected and not talked down to.” Rozek had her students read the
newspaper every day and bring in clippings that related to history. She
recalled that MacNicol enjoyed that activity and that he was never afraid to
make a presentation or raise his hand.
The two had a chance to reminisce during the photo shoot. Rozek said the
shoot was a “really neat opportunity to make a reconnection. He’s such a
genuine, down-to-earth person that it just felt comfortable right off.”
The photo shoot also gave Rozek a glimpse into celebrity life. She had her
hair and makeup professionally done, but she noted that she wore her own
outfit for the shoot, which surprised her since there was a large wardrobe
room. Photographers took countless photos, she said, including ones of her
holding an apple, books, and a ruler. But it was MacNicol who suggested
they pose with his arms around her, and that was the picture that was
ultimately selected.
“I was having fun at the photo shoot telling the makeup artists and others
why I was there, and later I heard several of them saying, ‘You know, I
need to write a note to my favorite teacher.’ That was another fun part of
the experience, that ripple effect,” Rozek said.
She has some favorite teachers of her own, including John Boles, the
William P. Hobby Professor of History. Boles, who also is the managing
editor of the Journal of Southern History, was Rozek’s adviser when she
was a Rice graduate student. She described Boles as a superb teacher and
the ultimate historian and said that he is very supportive of his students.
“He’s caring, willing to spend time with you, and encourages you in your
own interests in history,” she commented. “I came as an older graduate
student, and to be supported in that type of environment was special.”
Rozek also recalled an eighth-grade science teacher who made quite an
impact on her. She said that she was “fussing and fuming” about his latest
test, and he challenged her to make out the next one. The teacher used the
test and said it was great. “That was one of the first times I thought that
maybe I could be a teacher,” Rozek said.
A U.S. history professor at Valparaiso University in Indiana also left his
mark on Rozek. He made his students learn about maps and geography, and
Rozek said that is something she did as a history teacher as well. “I cannot
teach history without maps. You have to have an understanding of where
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