By Peter Sblendorio
Staff Writer
Typically, a decision made late is better than one never made at all. This is especially true for Brian Rohloff, who after three years with the band Miser has found his true passion in teaching.
Rohloff, a 1998 Coppell graduate, pursued a career in music after his senior year of high school. He was Miser’s lead singer from 2005 to 2008, and the band experienced a considerable amount of success during his tenure.
Miser released its first and only CD on July 18th, 2008 and titled it Miser. The band played at a major concert, Edgefest 17, in 2008, playing alongside world famous performers such as Muse, The Killers, Papa Roach and Finger Eleven.
Rohloff left Miser last year, however, citing that the band was unable to achieve all that they had hoped. While the other members still remain in the music making business, Rohloff has turned his attention to teaching high school students.
In order to earn a teaching degree from the University of North Texas, Rohloff spent the past semester at CHS as a student teacher in Michael Amick’s United States History class. Students immediately embraced the former vocalist, finding him entertaining as well as enjoyable to learn from. Rohloff’s last day on the job was Dec. 18, and he is due to graduate from UNT on Dec. 19.
Students made an effort to show their appreciation to Rohloff before he left, with his fourth period class throwing a goodbye party during class. A number of desserts, including three cakes, were brought to class by the students, and Rohloff taught everyone an infamous dance move that he used during his Miser days called the “Miser Shuffle”. After his final day as a student teacher, Rohloff did not downplay the significance of his experience at Coppell High School.
“It has been the most incredible experience of my life,” Rohloff said. “It’s taken so long to finish school due to my musical endeavors. I’ve been trying to find my path, and the students have shown me that [teaching] is my calling. The connections I made with these students have been my greatest blessing.”
Rohloff says that he hopes to be involved with CHS during the rest of the school year through substitute teaching and visiting his old classes regularly. Being a former high school soccer player, Rohloff also said that he would be interested in helping out with the girls soccer team during their season next semester.
As for next year, Rohloff hopes to earn a full time teaching job, and a job at Coppell High School would be a “dream come true”. His mentor, Michael Amick, was impressed with Rohloff during their time together and said that he would be able to handle the job as a teacher well.
“He’s done a good job in class and the students relate to him excellently,” Amick said. “Hopefully there’s a chance for him [to get a teaching job]. Hopefully they can work it out.”
Students have embraced the idea of Rohloff returning, as they were able to connect with him as a teacher and person during the past semester. Most of his students were juniors.
“I feel that he made learning interesting and I really enjoyed his presence in class,” junior Hunter Boyle, one of the students who baked a cake for Rohloff, said. “It would be really cool to have him as a teacher again.”
