After 37 years of teaching at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Mrs. Susan Vincent is retiring this year.

Mrs. Vincent attended Carnegie Mellon University (B.S.) and the University of Pittsburgh (M.S.) and majored in English, explaining that her “love of literature,” the “connections between literature and the real world,” and the prospect of “sharing my appreciation and enthusiasm of literature with high school students” inspired this decision.

Before ERHS, Mrs. Vincent taught in the Pittsburgh public school system for two years. After moving to the East Coast, she found a place in this school. She has taught all grade levels during her time here, but she has been teaching AP English Language & Composition and American Literature to 11th grade and AP English Literature & Composition to 12th grade for the past twenty years.

“I also served as the English department’s Writing Coordinator, providing me with opportunities to both work with English teachers individually and to develop workshops that brought ERHS English teachers together to discuss and share ideas and to ensure consistency in grading student work,” said Mrs. Vincent.

Fellow English teacher Ms. Abigail Holtz, who has known Mrs. Vincent for around six years, said she can certainly attest to the value of Mrs. Vincent’s literary insight. “I think we’ll certainly be losing a cornerstone to the [English] department,” she said. “[Mrs. Vincent] is someone who’s really well-respected in the department” and “kind of like the go-to person when it comes to writing…I’ll miss not having her as a resource, just selfishly, because she was really a wonderful person to go to…if I was ever on the fence about a grade that I wanted to give a student about an essay, or I had an idea about an essay prompt, but I wasn’t sure how to word it, or any kind of thing, she was always really happy to help…I’m going to miss her for that professional support that she provided, for sure.

“I also think she’s a very classy lady,” Ms. Holtz said, smiling. “There’s something charming about her personality, and her use of language; and she’s very soft-spoken, but she’s very witty and clever…she’s leaving behind a big gap, big shoes to fill.”

Junior Eliem Baires, who takes Mrs. Vincent’s English 11 Honors class, mentioned that she enjoys Mrs. Vincent’s “laid-back teaching style” and that “her personality makes everyone [engage] in class.” Baires cited the “discussions we have” as her favorite aspect of being in Mrs. Vincent’s class.

This aspect of engagement also happens to be one of the things Mrs. Vincent will miss most. “I have been so privileged to spend my working life interacting with students through the study of literature. I will miss sharing ideas, discussing reading and writing strategies, examining and analyzing literary techniques, and the daily opportunities to share my enthusiasm for the study of literature.”

Mrs. Vincent also said that she appreciates and “will certainly miss the great diversity of the ERHS student population” and the “daily interactions with my colleagues and the wonderful support of the ERHS staff.”