Testimonials

Our students and their families are our biggest supporters.  Take a look at what they are saying about us.

Parents

Rodney tutored both of my children at different periods in their lives. The impact on each child was profound. My daughter, resistant at first, began asking for more time with Rodney as she realized that she was able to master challenging assignments and meet her goals. My son, overwhelmed with the college admission process, sought Rodney’s help to prepare him for the SAT’s and write college essays. With Rodney’s guidance (and hard work), he earned early admission to his first choice college. (Dr. Anne Townsend, Ph.D, President and Chief Academic Officer of Mariposa Child Success Programs)

Reaching Academic Potential

My first experiences with Rodney (or Mr. Rice as I called him then and still sometimes do) were in 9th grade English over ten years ago. I remember being challenged to think critically, to engage in productive class discussion and to really analyze texts for the first time.  I read the Bible as literature for the first time in his class and I’d like to think that this experience opened my eyes to seeing familiar historical texts from new critical angles. I am now a graduate student in medieval history at Princeton so reading texts analytically is my lifeblood and Rodney played a critical role in my early development as a scholar. After I graduated from college, I taught alongside Rodney for a year and was able to appreciate him as a colleague and as a mentor. As an educator, he is thoughtful, compassionate, exacting (in the best sense of the term) and always innovative. While I was simply trying to maintain order in the classroom, he was teaching on another level, pushing his students to transform their writing and thinking. As a fellow educator, I can say with confidence that Rodney is a model of excellence in our profession. As a former student, I know personally that he can and does inspire young people to pursue the life of the mind and helps foster the skills they need for this pursuit.

Hollis (completed doctoral degree in history at Princeton University in 2019)

We have known Rodney since 1989 and met him through my sister who is the chaplain at the Exeter Cathedral in Devon, England.  Rodney has known each of our children their entire lives (our oldest since he was 18 months old and the other two from birth).  He has also tutored each of them in different subject matters ranging from English to Math to History.  Our three children have been fortunate enough to do well in no small part due to the efforts of Rodney.  In their formative years, Rodney was there to help them as each stumbled in a different academic area.  His knowledge and ability to teach is unparalleled, but his gift for getting students to push themselves and realize their full potential is his real gift and talent.  We consider him an exceptional individual and feel that you would be fortunate to have him guide and help your children not only with their studies but also with any college essays or the college application process.  He has a way of helping students determine which schools might be the right fit for them.  You will not go wrong with Rodney.

Christopher and Aimee S. (parents)

Organization & Grammar

“I can’t thank Mr. Rice enough for his help in improving my writing. During high school, I had the pleasure of working with Mr. Rice, and although the assignments we had to complete were difficult, they truly helped make me become a better writer. Many teachers will take a red pen to your paper and tell you to re-write it. Mr. Rice was always willing to show you how to improve your writing. He showed me how to use more precise vocabulary and explained the importance of proper grammar. He also helped me learn how to organize my thoughts and use concise language to get my points across. In addition, his jovial and patient demeanor made it very easy to come to him for help regardless of your writing level. Working with him also made the transition from high school to college effortless, because he prepared me for the demanding curriculum that college presents. Mr. Rice not only furthered my understanding of the English language, but he also fostered an appreciation for reading and learning. I can’t recommend him more highly. ”

Carolyn N. ’08

“Rodney Rice was pivotal in my development as a writer.  He immediately recognized the shortcomings of my writing and taught me valuable grammatical and organizational techniques that dramatically improved it. His passion for teaching, literary analysis and good writing encouraged me to continue to hone my reading and writing skills. He challenged me to not only meet his standards of good writing and analysis but to also raise my own standards. His engaging classroom environment made class enjoyable and improved my writing so much that I enrolled in as many of his classes as I could.”

Molly B. ’11

Surya H. (parent)

Mr. Rice is a one-of-a-kind teacher and mentor. I can honestly say that having him as my teacher and my advisor played an important role in my development as a writer and as a person. Mr. Rice challenged us to become more critical writers and thinkers every day. At Yale, I was extremely prepared to write at the college level thanks to what I learned from Mr. Rice.

Kallie P. ’10 (completed MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2019)

When I entered Rodney Rice’s class my freshman year, my writing was passive, vague and redundant. After reading my papers, he was always willing to sit down with me to explain my mistakes and offer suggestions on how to improve my writing. His suggestions on everything from basic mechanics to effective organization of ideas visibly improved my writing and my confidence. In my senior year I did not hesitate to ask him about my college admissions essays, where he once again demonstrated his commitment to his students’ success when he reviewed and offered suggestions on five drafts of the same essay. Four years after Rodney Rice entered my life, I can say with full confidence that his tutelage, encouragement and endless advice contributed to my success in a rigorous high school, my admittance into my top-choice college and my easy adjustment to university-level writing.

Sasha F. ’12

I just wanted to thank you for the past four years. As my teacher freshman year and my advisor starting sophomore year, you have been with me the whole way. Your support and encouragement has meant more to me than you will ever know. Even when your expectations seemed insane, I know you only had my best interests at heart.

– Carroll N. ’10

Rodney Rice is not a teacher — he is an educator. My daughter, now an associate in a multi-city PR firm, will tell you, (as will I, her father), that the foundation of quality work laid by Mr. Rice in her high school years prepared her not only for college, (she graduated Cum Laude), but it also prepared her for the demands of finding work in a very over populated field. (Upon gushingly congratulating her at the end of her freshman year at the University of Alabama for straight A’s, her response was, (said smiling),  “Dad after Mr. Rice, and Roland Park (Country School),  this was easy.” I cannot recommend him, AND his approach to education enough.

Marty B. (Parent ’07)

You are a great writing instructor and demanded another level of writing out of me. For that, I am grateful. I hope you teach for many years; more kids need you, just like I did. They’ll realize how lucky they are one day.

-Jay B. ’10

Now that I have survived honors English 9, I can say that Mr. Rice remains one of my favorite teachers. He set high standards and demanded that they be met. Inadvertently, I began setting higher standards for my writing on my own, because I could only imagine what his response would be if I wrote anything less than a near-perfect essay. Even now, no matter what I am writing, I think while proofreading, “Would Mr. Rice think that this sounds awkward?”

– Meghan, ‘2011 (Ph.D candidate in history at the University of Virginia)

My daughter had the privilege of having Rodney as a teacher many years ago. What he has to offer students goes well beyond basic education. His standards are extremely high and he excels at motivating his students to reach them. My daughter used skills that Rodney taught her in the 3rd and 4th grade throughout her high school and college career. As parents, we have the opportunity to come into contact with many teachers over our children’s schooling years and we count ourselves fortunate if we encounter several exceptional teachers. Rodney is, without a doubt, the best of the best. My family is richer for the experience.

– Heidi

My daughters had the honor of having Mr. Rice as a teacher at Roland Park Country School. My second daughter also had him as her Upper School advisor. He is a superb educator, from both an intellectual as well as collegial perspective.

His standards for his students are high, as they should be. Mr. Rice is an educator of the first order, a throwback to when hard work and exceptional effort were recognized.

Contact me if you would like to obtain more detail. I recommend Rodney Rice unequivocally.

– Tom