Carrie Rowe is stepping down from her position as an Algebra 1 teacher after 13 years at Midtown. While she will be retiring from her classroom, she will continue assisting students during and outside of school hours in the Math Center.

Before teaching at Midtown, Rowe taught at Independence High School in Fulton County for 19 years, where she simply had students come in, complete work and leave. Upon moving to Midtown, she wanted a stronger connection with her students. 

“I needed to go experience a traditional school,” Rowe said. “We didn’t have any extracurricular activities or anything. It was just they came, [then] sometimes they would go back to their home school, [or] sometimes they would stay with us. I didn’t really have any experience with any sports, music or any extracurricular activities.”

Rowe, who started her career in fashion merchandising, realized she wanted to go a different path. Instead, her enjoyment of math and working with kids led her to teaching Algebra. Her struggle with math in college motivated her to try to help students understand math better, as other people did for her. 

“[Math] was a challenge,” Rowe said. “But I think that has helped me teach the on-level kids, because I’ve done it for so long now. I think that really has helped me teach like a struggling student because I kind of struggled myself.”

Rowe experienced students receiving perfect scores on the End of Course Exam and growth in students’ scores, from the end of eighth grade to the end of ninth grade.

“A couple years ago, I had the highest growth on the Milestone,” Rowe said. “My kids are learning, and they’re becoming more confident when they’re in my class. I feel as though, I think, my kids are really learning something from when they come from middle to high school, and they feel confident going into tenth grade.”

Freshman Jacey Akum, one of Rowe’s students, said Rowe’s impact at Midtown has changed her testing scores and helped her calm down during tests. 

“One thing Ms. Rowe said that really stuck with me was when I was struggling on a test, and she told me, ‘You’re smarter than you think; you just need to believe in yourself more,’” Akum said. “That made me feel a lot more confident and less stressed about whatever problem I was working on.” 

Akum said Rowe’s teaching has allowed her to form connections with her students. 

“I feel like she knew me as a person, not just as a student,” Akum said. “She would ask how I was doing when I seemed upset or stressed, and she actually remembered things students told her. It made the class feel more comfortable and supportive. Ms. Rowe has taught me valuable things I can use outside of her class, like being patient when learning something difficult and not giving up right away.”

Sophomore Sebastian Hansen was placed in Rowe’s class in the 2024-2025 school year. He said he enjoyed her class and the push she would give her students. 

“I remember that she used to always make sure everyone was on task and doing something productive,” Hansen said. “[She would] never let us fall behind, at least most of the time. I was pretty confident about algebra because of her.”

Freshman Taylor Cole attends Rowe’s afterschool program and is thankful for Rowe’s excitement and passion to improve her students’ learning.

“The Math Center showed me how passionate Ms. Rowe is because she is always encouraging and willing to help students until they truly understand,” Cole said.

After school hours, Rowe has the Math Center three days a week. She works with the students who are failing or want additional help, and encourages them to participate to get their grade up. 

“I do the math center three days a week, so I’ve done that since I’ve been here,” Rowe said. “That’s how I get my kids to be successful. If I wasn’t here three days a week to help them, I don’t feel like I would have the results that I have, [or] the confidence building that I have.”

Bass has seen her patiently work with students who come in, some not being her student, and work with them until they can understand the material.

“I believe one of Ms. Rowe’s greatest contribution to Midtown was her work in the Math Lab,” Bass said. “Her patience and willingness to help every student who walked through those doors was remarkable. It did not matter whether the student was assigned to her class or even what level of math they were taking. She always took the time to help students understand the material and build confidence in their abilities.”

Rowe feels relieved knowing her students want to improve on their grade and believes getting  personalized assistance allows them to feel more confident when completing the math on their own. 

“Getting them here is part of the process of building their confidence,” Rowe said. “So when they come to the math center, they get that one-on-one, and then they feel more confident.”

Cole experienced firsthand a confidence boost when attending the math center. For her, it was a way to open up and be comfortable talking to people in order to get help to improve her learning. 

“Coming to the Math Center changed my confidence in math because I stopped being scared to ask questions,” Cole said. “Before, I would get frustrated easily and doubt myself, but now I feel more comfortable trying problems and learning from mistakes. Ms. Rowe helped me realize that I’m capable of understanding math when I take my time and practice.”

After Rowe retires, she will continue helping her students. Rather than staying home, she wants to continue to run the math center alongside Peyton Williams, an Algebra One and Geometry teacher, three times a week. 

“I’m going to be here Monday, Wednesday [and] Thursday at the math center, but then during the day I’m going to work with ninth-graders,” Rowe said. “I always thought, ‘Maybe I won’t do the math center anymore,’ but that’s how I get my kids to be successful.”

Rowe plans to go around Midtown and help students who are struggling. She hopes this will boost the confidence of the students and that they will be inspired to continue once they no longer need support. 

“It’s mainly the ones that are kind of falling through the cracks,” Rowe said. “They’re failing a lot of classes, but they don’t have guidance at home. They just need that push, that confidence — a teacher. I can’t do that individually in a class of 20 kids. So they get that extra boost that gets them more motivated.”

Her assistant, Robert Bass has seen her impact on the school and the students. While working with her for over ten years, he has seen her eagerness to always help students is what he saw most in her. 

“Her positive influence extends beyond students and into her relationships with faculty and staff,” Bass said. “Ms. Rowe consistently greets others with kindness, professionalism, and a positive attitude. She brings a welcoming energy to the workplace that makes collaboration easy and enjoyable.”

Rowe said she will miss her time at Midtown but is excited to take the next step in her life. She believes the help from the ninth-grade staff, especially when she was first starting out, helped her a lot, and she hopes that it will be the same for the next teacher. 

“I love Midtown,” Rowe said. “I’m so glad I came here. I love my colleagues. I love the students. The support is great. If I do have an issue with a student, I’ve got a lot of support in ninth grade. They’ve got the ninth-grade counselor, ninth-grade administrators; they’ve got everything. There’s so many people supporting the ninth graders that [are] really helpful if you have any challenge with any student or anything.”