“I just want to be a better educator, have better classroom management, and set a good example for students, ” Elizabeth Roman said. 

Elizabeth Roman is the high school home economics teacher. She currently teaches 8th graders and high school students in areas such as instruction of practice and practical education, food science, child development, principals of education, and principals of human service. She is also the sponsor for Student Council/TAFE. Mrs. Roman was born in Lubbock, Texas and raised in Springlake where she graduated in 2004. After graduation, she attended Clovis Community College to obtain her associate’s degree in Early Childhood Multicultural Education and moved on to Wayland Baptist University where she gained her bachelors. She is married to Efrain Roman, and together they have three small children: Efrain, Allyson, and Angelique. She loves doing crafts, painting, helping her husband, working around the house, and spending time with her family and friends. 

Before pursuing a career in education, Mrs. Roman had first considered nursing.  

“I was taking all of my basics, and I was waiting to be accepted into the nursing program,” Mrs. Roman said. “I always wanted to be a prenatal/neonatal nurse and be in that department of the hospital.” 

At the time, she was working at a local headstart where she soon fell in love with the idea of teaching.  

“I always saw myself working around children but not as a teacher until I started working at the headstart,” Mrs. Roman said. “I really enjoyed being around the little ones, so that made me change my mind and that’s when I discovered I wanted to become a teacher.” 

After 10 years of teaching at the headstart, she decided to take time off to be with her children. When two years had passed, she decided to teach again, this time at SEHS. 

“I never thought of being in a high school setting. I’ve always thought of being in the elementary or in a headstart with littler kids,” Mrs. Roman said. “The first day of work, I was so nervous. When I got home, I told my husband I was way over my head and asked what I was doing with high school kids.” 

Even though high school was not on her mind at the time, she soon felt a connection with her students that she has enjoyed from day one. 

“I like interacting with the older kids,” Mrs. Roman said. “I like giving them a little encouragement and helping them see that it’s not as easy as they think it’s going to be outside of high school, but telling them from my experience and hopefully set an example in some way.” 

Mrs. Roman’s inspiring manner has impacted each and every one of her students and continues to play a role in their everyday lives. 

Taytum Goodman, who is president of STUCO/TAFE, has also had the pleasure of working with Mrs. Roman this year also. 

“When I found out Mrs. Roman was the new Student Council director, I was really excited.  I feel more involved than ever with Mrs. Roman being in charge of the student council,” Goodman said. “She is really on top of things and great at what she does. I have really enjoyed being around her and getting to know her this year.” 

Since day one, Mrs. Roman’s love for education has only grown, and currently, she is working to obtain her master’s degree. 

“I only need 15 credit hours to finish it, so I’m really close,” Mrs. Roman said.  

Her parents played a huge role in her decision to obtain the degrees in which she has over the years.  

“I wanted to make my parents proud. My parents didn’t get the opportunity I had, and they didn’t have the education I had,” Mrs. Roman said. “For me to be the first born that graduated, showed them that everything that they had worked for had paid off.” 

For aspiring and upcoming educators, Mrs. Roman holds one piece of advice. 

“Be prepared to have an open mind, and treat everybody with respect,” Mrs. Roman said. “That is one of the biggest things being in the high school. You have to give them respect because they’re older, and if you respect them, they’ll respect you.”