She’s easy to spot with her bright, floral suitcase and short, white hair, or perhaps to hear as she summons her well-known temper in the classroom.   Who is this mystery person who graces our halls and classrooms?  Mrs. Judith Rothstein.

Mrs. Rothstein, who works as a substitute exclusively at PB and coaches girls’ tennis and Public Forum Debate, attributes her well-known temper “to my Irish ancestry, and my obstinacy to her German ancestry.”  However, these traits are what inspired Mrs. Rothstein to pursue the many interests she has in life, one of them being teaching.

Judith Carey grew up in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The Irish and German influences created a “classic European foundation,” which saw her attend St. Mary’s school and church.  During this period of her life, Mrs. Rothstein notes she was different, special from her peers because she had a “wide range of interests” and participated in activities from “basketball to Key Club.”  However, for the young Judith Carey there were only several passions she dedicated her life to.  One of these passions would be stoked at the youthful age of eight when she picked up her first tennis racket.

During that time, tennis was not a popular women’s sport.  “Not one person in my town played tennis,” notes Mrs. Rothstein.  With no plays to peer with and against, she played on the boys’ public school team throughout her middle school and high school years.   While her main passion is tennis, it is a passion she has carried alone.  She recalls, “Nobody in my family ever played tennis; it was just something I tried and carried with me.”

After she graduated from St. Benedict College, Mrs. Rothstein got married to her husband, Allan Rothstein, who went to the University of Minnesota.  They traveled to Germany and had their first child there.   After that, her life became “a whirlwind,” as she traveled back to Minnesota and then to Indiana, New York, Virginia Beach and, finally, Maryland.

Traveling separated Judy Rothstein from her family back in Minnesota, so to her “tennis was a salvation” wherever she moved.  She joined country clubs and played tennis along with her two daughters, son and husband.

After several years of traveling, Judy Rothstein landed in Burtonsville with her small family and, as always, her passion for tennis.  She attended the University of Maryland for a couple years to finish credits in her major.  In 1985 Mrs. Rothstein came to Paint Branch to begin working as a substitute.

At Paint Branch, Mrs. Rothstein has consistently subbed for many different positions.

In 1987, she started coaching girls’ tennis in the fall and boys’ tennis in the spring.   In total she has coached the girls’ team for 27 years and the boys’ for 9 years.  Her children attended Paint Branch, one who played on the boys’  team.

It was in 1993 that Mrs. Rothstein decided to coach clubs based on her second passion: language.

Ever since she was a little girl, Mrs. Rothstein “loved to argue,” so for her there is an innate interest in publicly speaking about a topic and arguing about it.  She states,  “I wanted to become a lawyer but never really had the chance.”  It was a natural fit for her when she started coaching the Forensics Club in 1993.  In 1995, she started judging debates, since her son was a debater, and eventually she started coaching the Paint Branch debate team, as well.  In all, Mrs. Rothstein has been coaching extra-curricular language activities for over 20 years.

A third passion of Mrs. Rothstein’s that many do not know about is her love for dogs.  Since she was young she has “always had a dog, but I fell in love with Great Danes.”  In 1995, Mrs. Rothstein started showing dogs all over the country – including on most weekends.  She has had ten Great Dane champions but now is “down to my 4 ½ -year-old Canadian and American champion, Hadie.”    “Dogs,” she states, “have always been a big interest in my life.”

  Even with her busy schedule as varsity sport coach, forensics and debate advisor and dog-show devotee, Mrs. Rothstein still finds time to knit, garden, and direct tennis as a sports director for Montgomery County.

As for the idea of retirement, Mrs. Rothstein doesn’t see it as much of an option as she still enjoys all of her activities and still likes to see other people succeed. She also describes herself as a “Type-A person who doesn’t really like to sit around a lot.”

Asked about her strongest belief, Mrs. Rothstein answers without hesitation, “I think that no matter what you do, myself included, or as a student, you should do everything to the best of your capacity.  You might end up succeeding or you might not, but you should be able to walk off the court, or out of a dog show, or out of a classroom with your head held high, knowing that you gave it your best shot.”