He’s Back, It’s ‘Mr. Rose’ Now

Devon Rose is finishing his first month of student teaching at North Hollywood High, having already survived the most traumatic moment a 22-year-old barely out of college can encounter:

A student called him “Mr. Rose” on his first day of teaching.

“I was shocked,” Rose said. “I almost wanted to say, ‘Call me Coach Rose.’ It sounded so weird.”

College athletes are in no hurry to enter the real world. Many attempt to extend their sports careers by trying out for professional teams even if making one is a longshot.

Rose is different. He suited up for his last football game at Nevada Las Vegas on Nov. 18, completed requirements for his bachelors’ degree on Dec. 21, and started work at North Hollywood on Jan. 21. There was never any hesitation to enter the final phase of becoming a physical education teacher. The fun and games of college life had ended.

“Some of my friends still have another year of college,” Rose said. “Some are trying out for the NFL or Arena League. Some are graduating. I’ve always wanted to coach. I enjoy being with kids.” Rose graduated from North Hollywood in 1997 and received a scholarship to play linebacker at UNLV. Injuries to his back, hip and wrist limited him to special teams most of his college career.

Teaching and coaching were always on his mind. His mother has been a teacher for more than 30 years. But making the transition from college student to high school teacher isn’t easy.

Armed with a clipboard, whistle, No. 2 pencil and roll book, Rose is in charge of four P.E. classes of ninth and 10th graders, supervising 40-50 students in each class. Some want to learn, others don’t. Some want to follow instructions, others rebel.

“You tell a kid to do something and they ask, ‘Why?’ When I was in high school, I remember I had that mentality,” Rose said. “If you respect the kids, they’ll respect you. When I’m out there, I’m the one in charge. A kid is not going to tell me what to do.

“I have kids who refuse to participate. Getting a student to do what I want them to do and when they actually do it, makes me feel good. Seeing the kids who want to learn and watching them get excited, that’s something I like to see.”

Learning names, having patience and maintaining control over rambunctious teenagers are among Rose’s challenges.

“It’s a little nerve-racking at first, but he seems to be in control,” said Brad Hodge, the teacher responsible for observing Rose during his student teaching. “You have to have a little patience, a little humor, but [also] have your discipline and rules.”

Rose plans to help coach track at North Hollywood this spring, then decide what to do about coaching football in the fall when he looks for a full-time teaching position. He understands the sacrifice he is making by becoming a teacher and coach.

“You don’t go into teaching and coaching for the money,” he said. “It’s something you do because you love working with kids. I love sports and I feel I can make a difference. My high school coach, Jason Garrison, made a difference. I feel through coaching, if I can affect one kid in a positive way, it will be important.”

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College recruiting can get out of control. Some high school athletes like the attention and phone calls from recruiting services trying to find out which schools are under consideration.

Lorenzo Booker of Ventura St. Bonaventure thrived on publicity. But receiver Steve Smith of Woodland Hills Taft is no Booker. He has no intention of spending the next 11 months answering repeated phone calls from people trying to find out what colleges he’s considering.

“My mom told me to be real strong and tell them to stop calling,” Smith said.

Smith doesn’t want to be rude. He just wants to make his college decision at his own pace, without daily interruptions. He’s only a junior, and the pressure to make a decision is already rising.

Don’t look for Smith to wait until the last day like Booker and hold a news conference on ESPN. He prefers peace and quiet over a media frenzy.

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Chris Sailer, who was an All-American kicker at UCLA and plays in the Arena Football League, is holding a camp March 9-10 at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High. Information: (818) 767-7188.

The Football 50-yard race, scheduled for Saturday at the Los Angeles Sports Arena as part of the Los Angeles Invitational indoor track meet, is shaping up to be very competitive.

Besides the Florida State-bound Booker, freshman Aaron Ware of Westlake Village Oaks Christian is entered, along with Darnell Bing of Long Beach Poly, Quintin Daniels of Loyola and Turrill Engelman of Huntington Beach Marina.

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High school sports has lost one of its most enthusiastic supporters in Dale Basey, a psychology teacher at Newhall Hart who spent 17 years as the school’s activities director. He died of an apparent heart attack Saturday night. He was 47.

It’s a devastating loss for students and faculty because Basey was someone they could always count on to have a positive outlook, whether it was a good or bad day. He’ll be greatly missed.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com..