Stan Roth's 40-year teaching career in Lawrence ended after he declined to accept a nonteaching job.
Nearly 5,000 Lawrence high school students ventured into the academic jungle that was Stan Roth's biology classroom.
The thin, bearded teacher maintained an academic environment cloaked in foliage, equipment, specimens and critters for 38 years at Lawrence High and for the past two years at Free State High. His mission was to help teen-agers grasp complexities of a science focusing on the origin, history, characteristics and habits of plants and animals.
He taught in a manner stereotypical of the 1950s, during which he started his career in Lawrence. His approach was direct, his style unyielding. Roth was known to awaken sleeping students by bouncing erasers off their heads. Academic standards were high. Grades were earned, not awarded. Roth organized dozens of summer field expeditions for students in Florida, Hawaii and Kansas. He collected a chest full of commendations.
Some people swore by his techniques. Others cursed the same.
"Now, it's over," Roth said. "Time runs out on all of us, but I feel that the sand in my hourglass has been made to flow much faster."
Early withdrawal
Roth, 64, took voluntary early retirement in June.
Many details about how that came to pass were shared by Roth and his colleagues, because district officials declined to talk on the record about disciplinary action targeted at him.
For the record, there is no place Roth would rather be this semester than in a high school biology class surrounded by students.
And that's where he had every intention of being until Free State Principal Joe Snyder called him to a meeting at 4 p.m. May 13. That's when Roth learned he would be transferred to a nonteaching position as assistant at the district's science center.
Roth said he was dumbfounded by the demotion.
"I don't remember all that he said," Roth said, "but his answer included the phrase 'because of the way you treat students.'"
He drove to the district's central office and met with Assistant Supts. Randy Weseman, Nettie Collins-Hart and Marcia Bone. They confirmed the job action and informed Roth he essentially would become the district's naturalist.
Roth met five days later at Free State with Bone, Weseman and Snyder in an attempt to smooth over issues driving his expulsion. At this time, Roth learned more about reasons for his removal. There were allegations from parents, students and staff that Roth was arrogant and rude. Specifically, students charged that he called them twits, hooligans and other names.
Roth appealed for a final year at Free State.
Supt. Kathleen Williams said the transfer wasn't negotiable, Roth said. He was startled to learn the idea was to put him in charge of science equipment and facilities -- not make him the district's naturalist.
On May 28, Roth requested his personnel file from Free State. The envelope was full of material related to his years at LHS. But Roth was startled to find derogatory correspondence about his service to Free State.
Roth said a reading of his teacher contract revealed a loophole that permitted quiet gathering of evidence against him. The contract obligates disclosure of Roth's personnel file at the central office -- not Roth's personnel file at Free State. It was the high school's file that contained damning charges, Roth said.
"For every negative letter in my folder, I most likely could solicit 10 or 20 positive ones," Roth said.
Roth was up against a wall. He didn't want the administrative job. Nor did he want to file a grievance or lawsuit. So, he retired.
"I was still challenged and excited to teach, ... but I didn't see any other honorable option," Roth said.
Seen and heard
Williams, as well as superintendents before her, have become familiar with Roth. He regularly peppered administrators with opinions and routinely attended school board meetings.
In an interview, Williams said she couldn't discuss the showdown with Roth.
"We would be violating his rights," she said.
Williams said district personnel policy would permit her to articulate the district's case against Roth had he been fired. She is bound by blanket confidentiality when dealing with retired staff.
Her predecessor in the superintendent's office said he did occasional battle with Roth.
Al Azinger, superintendent from 1992 to 1998 and now a professor at Illinois State University in Normal, Ill., said a conflict emerged when Roth was informed of his transfer from LHS to a teaching slot at Free State in 1997.
"After considerable discussions, he ended up accepting that and managing it fairly well, ... but he wasn't happy," Azinger said. "From my working with him, there were times that his methods of dealing with kids came to my attention, but they were not anything to the extent that we didn't move forward."
Joseph Harvey, a Lawrence oral surgeon and parent of a Free State student, won't easily forget Roth. Shortly before Christmas 1998, Harvey's daughter asked Roth when he planned to balance a section on evolution with a section on creationism.
"My response was, 'I won't deal with that nonscientific crap," Roth said.
Harvey registered his dismay at Roth's disrespect for a student's religious beliefs in person and by letter. Harvey wrote five letters critical of Roth that were placed in his personnel file.
In an interview, Harvey praised Snyder but didn't want to talk about Roth.
His only comment: "Apparently, the system works."
Snyder, a Jesuit priest for 16 years prior to taking the job at Free State, said there wasn't much he could say about Roth's career.
"We try to do the best we can for the students in the school. That's what we're trying to do," Snyder said.
Devoted followers
Eric Shulenberger sat in the front row of the first class taught by Roth at LHS in 1959.
"The man is without a doubt the finest teacher I've ever encountered," said Shulenberger, director of multidisciplinary research development at the University of Washington in Seattle.
He said Roth inspired students to seek careers in science. Shulenberger earned a doctorate in biological oceanography at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He also received a law degree at University of San Diego.
"He expects you to explore, to confront things you don't know, to poke and prod," Shulenberger said. "He will look at you when you make a damn fool mistake ... and say, 'Oh, give me a break. Feeling stupid today?'
"It's like a good football coach. The football coach is supposed to get the best out of people. You have to push people to get the best."
Shulenberger said Roth's problems reflected a softening of academic rigor in the U.S. schools.
"A lot of kids these days have never been pushed, and when they have they regard it as some sort of imposition," he said.
Kay Rytting, Lawrence, felt so strongly about Roth's teaching prowess she funneled nine children through his LHS classrooms.
"We were very upset that he went to Free State because we were hoping 10, 11 and 12 would have him, too," she said.
Michael Rytting, who was in the LHS class of 1986, mirrored sentiment expressed by siblings. He said Roth demonstrated devotion to students by demanding excellence.
"Mr. Roth was not there to be popular or to be every student's buddy. He expected us to work for an A and was very willing to give it when earned."
New beginning
Roth, a fourth-generation educator, remains bitter about the way his public school teaching career ended.
"I was grossly insulted when told by people I felt didn't know me that I no longer was worthy as a classroom teacher," Roth said.
He regrets administrators didn't strive for middle ground -- probation or counseling.
"If I had known my job was on the line, I would have changed. I really like teaching that much," he said.
In retirement, Roth is determined to stay in education. He plans to volunteer at the city's new Prairie Park Nature Center and at Kansas Biological Survey.
"It's a new start. I'm excited to get going."
-- Tim Carpenter's phone message number is 832-7155. His e-mail address is tcarpenter@ljworld.com.
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