Lake Geneva Teacher Wins Kohl Fellowship

Amy Ruddy is a fifth-year teacher at the new Lake Geneva Middle School where she teaches literature and English to eighth-graders. Amy has always taught in a team situation having previously taught in Rolling Meadows and New Berlin.

Ruddy says, "I strive to inspire a love in learning in my students by intrinsically motivating them to learn while encouraging curiosity and modeling lifelong learning. Students must realize the power of knowledge and the myriad of opportunities available to them because of it. I also engage my students in conversation about their lives to not only get to know them better, but also to convey my curiosity about them and their lives. I am constantly reminding my students that anything is possible. Students can succeed if they believe in themselves and hard work."

Keeping students in mind, Amy has developed two curricular creations. She developed an independent reading program for the literature classes based on the concepts of choice, communication, and creativity. "Students choose their reading goals and selections, giving them ownership of their curriculum and their success," Amy states. "In addition, students share their reading through booktalks, book clubs, and visits to community locations, with their parents or grandparents, their peers and other members of their community. Students stretch their minds with creative writing, role-playing, and responses generated from titles and authors that they choose to read."

She has developed a persuasive unit that allows students to strengthen their research and writing skills wile experiencing firsthand the practical use, influence, and application of persuasion. Using aspects of problem-based learning, students, in cooperative groups, pinpoint changes they feel should be made within their school or community. Then they create proposals and persuasive presentations that empirically support their claims. Students, in the roles of presenters, give presentations to the school administration or community leaders in an attempt to institute school or community change.

With a baby on the way this spring and moving into a new home, some of Amy's volunteer activities have been curtailed. She has assisted in field drill band, been a head coach for the eighth grade volleyball team, and has been a crisis counselor in Madison. She also maintains the computer lab in her classroom. Amy's classroom would be the envy of most teachers, it's huge, has a great deal of storage and counter space, and looks out onto a wild field.

Amy looks forward to improving the reading program at Lake Geneva Middle School and is interested in obtaining a director of curriculum and instruction license. She received her Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a reading certification in December. She plans to purse a director of curriculum and instruction license. She plans to use this licensure to purse her love of learning, reading, and language arts to collaborate with others that focus on student-centered learning topics.

When asked to discuss her favorite adult book, she quickly replied, "Divine Secrets of the Yaya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells is hilarious." She suggests the young adult book, Walk to the Moon by Sharon Creech for that age group that many of us call growing kids.

One positive aspect Amy sees in education today is the opportunities for teachers within buildings to collaborate and to work with interdisciplinary and content area teams. She feels today's diverse learning populations receives many accommodations. She also believes teachers are more flexible and expert at providing alternative accommodations within the classroom.

In contrast to the positive aspects of education, Amy sees lack of communication between districts to share educational expertise, innovative programs, and tour facilities as something that should change. " To combat the media that capitalizes on the negative aspects of society and schools, the success and achievements of schools needs to be promoted," states Amy, "the triumphs of students must shine though!"

Posted March 27, 2002