By Amy Mullis
After spending the majority of her life leading her students and her fellow teachers, local math teaching legend Careen Fordham will lead the way for the Dodge County High School (DCHS) Homecoming Parade on Friday, September 27 as the 2019 grand marshal.
DCHS teachers and administrators alike were elated to learn that Fordham had accepted this honor.
“She has positively impacted many students who have crossed the stage to graduate, and she has been a great mentor and role model for her fellow teachers,” said DCHS Principal Dr. Susan Long.
Fordham’s life in Dodge County began when her father’s work brought their family from Montgomery, Alabama, when she was ten years old. After graduating with the DCHS Class of 1963, she earned her bachelor’s degree in math from Berry College and launched into a profession that would impact far more lives than she would ever imagine and likely more than her humbleness would allow her to admit.
After graduating from Berry, life took Fordham on an exciting ride. She taught math in Florida, Washington, Virginia, and Rhode Island and also took her teaching talent over international waters to teach on military bases in Germany, Turkey, Labrador, and Spain.
Fordham honed her craft by earning a master’s degree from Georgia Southwestern University and her specialist’s degree from Columbus State.
By 1988, life brought Fordham back to Eastman, and in 1993 she returned to her alma mater sharing her love of math, learning, and teaching with her tribe at DCHS and impacting the lives of an incalculable number of students.
“Mrs. Fordham was the teacher that everyone wanted to have,” said Susan Underwood, a DCHS math teacher who experienced the joy of working with Fordham. “She was passionate about teaching and was a true advocate for her students.”
But Fordham’s impact on Underwood was not just within the walls of DCHS.
“We developed a lifelong friendship, and I am so grateful that she served as my mentor teacher as I began my career,” Underwood said. “Her advice and guidance have helped mold me into the teacher that I am today!”
Fordham spent 37 years in the classroom. In addition to being the advisor for the yearbook and establishing Math Club, she taught all levels of high school math and for a stint had the opportunity to teach some of those former high school students at the collegiate level at Middle Georgia College.
Fordham
Homecoming parade Friday
After officially retiring in 2007, Fordham was still an integral part of the DCHS family as she continued to teach part-time and also served as a long-term sub.
Sheena Orange, a current DCHS math teacher and former student of Fordham’s reiterated that Fordham’s impact, though it started in her classroom, extended so far beyond that space and the time that her students were there.
“Mrs. Fordham cared about her students and showed it through her teaching style,” Orange recalled. “She would always get to know her students and their background. Because of this experience, I make it a priority to build a rapport with all my students.”
“She is loved by so many because she loved us,” she added. “Her care and concern for students are genuine, and I will always be grateful for my experiences and memories with her.”
A huge smile spread across Fordham’s face when she said, “I had a wonderful teaching career. I loved every minute of it.”
She recalled her own participation in homecoming festivities, including dressing up for character day and celebrity day - one year as the Chick-Fil-A cow!
Since wrapping up her days at DCHS and in the education field, Fordham humbly says she’s not done anything “exceptional,” but she’s definitely not been inactive. She volunteers at the Christian Life Center, is active with the Dodge Retired Educators and is a member of First Baptist Church.
At age 70 she earned her scuba diving certification and since has enjoyed travelling with her husband, Al Fordham, several times to the Cayman Islands to scuba dive. She also enjoys spending time with her friends and family and loving on her “fur baby,” Jake.
Fordham was humbled by the invitation to be this year’s grand marshal.
“I was just shocked and honored,” she said. “All I could think about was that there were so many other people they could have asked.”
But to so many who know and love her, Fordham is the perfect choice for the honor.
“She is the epitome of the great teacher and professional educator,” said Long, adding a special thanks to this year’s grand marshll. “Thank you, Ms. Fordham, for making our 2019 Homecoming Parade extra special.”
Sheena Orange, a current DCHS math teacher and former student of Fordham’s reiterated that Fordham’s impact, though it started in her classroom, extended so far beyond that space and the time that her students were there.
“Mrs. Fordham cared about her students and showed it through her teaching style,” Orange recalled. “She would always get to know her students and their background. Because of this experience, I make it a priority to build a rapport with all my students.”
“She is loved by so many because she loved us,” she added. “Her care and concern for students are genuine, and I will always be grateful for my experiences and memories with her.”
A huge smile spread across Fordham’s face when she said, “I had a wonderful teaching career. I loved every minute of it.”
She recalled her own participation in homecoming festivities, including dressing up for character day and celebrity day - one year as the Chick-Fil-A cow!
Since wrapping up her days at DCHS and in the education field, Fordham humbly says she’s not done anything “exceptional,” but she’s definitely not been inactive. She volunteers at the Christian Life Center, is active with the Dodge Retired Educators and is a member of First Baptist Church.
At age 70 she earned her scuba diving certification and since has enjoyed travelling with her husband, Al Fordham, several times to the Cayman Islands to scuba dive. She also enjoys spending time with her friends and family and loving on her “fur baby,” Jake.
Fordham was humbled by the invitation to be this year’s grand marshal.
“I was just shocked and honored,” she said. “All I could think about was that there were so many other people they could have asked.”
But to so many who know and love her, Fordham is the perfect choice for the honor.
“She is the epitome of the great teacher and professional educator,” said Long, adding a special thanks to this year’s grand marshll. “Thank you, Ms. Fordham, for making our 2019 Homecoming Parade extra special.”
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