November 2020: Erin Ruddy
November 20, 2020
Ms. Ruddy, a 7th grade Health and P.E. teacher, has been teaching at Glasgow Middle School for 3 years. However, she feels she has been teaching longer than that because of her years of student teaching before her time at Glasgow. She was born and raised in New Jersey, having two older sisters, and a mom and dad. Ms. Ruddy comes from a family of educators, her parents were both Health and P.E. teachers, her grandfather was a math teacher, and her grandmother was a phys ed. bus driver. “I do think it’s in my blood,” she says. Being raised by educators was a major influence on her decision to become a Health and P.E. teacher. “I also just love teaching Health and PE because I’m just so passionate about it,” said Ms. Ruddy. She loves what she teaches, and loves the relationships and impact she has on her students even more.
Ms. Ruddy also loves hiking, exploring DC, and doing yoga in her free time. Ever since she tore her ACL and had to get surgery, she has been going to physical therapy and has been doing more yoga. Yoga is one of the things that got her interested in fitness and health in the first place.
Ms. Ruddy grew up playing sports her whole life and is a very competitive person. She went to JMU (James Madison University) and was interested in health and things like nutrition and yoga, so she got a major in kinesiology, which is the study of the body, science, and exercise. She decided to stay at JMU and got her master’s in teaching. Ms. Ruddy’s decision to become a teacher was not only influenced by her constant exposure to sports while growing up, but she also learned a lot from her parents, “making a difference in students lives inspired me, I have always been eager to make a difference,” said Ms. Ruddy.
When telling a story about her old 5th grade teacher, Ms. Ruddy feels that her teacher was another reason why she got interested in teaching, “I chose to be a teacher because I wanted to be a positive impact on your generation, and generations to come. I hope I’m able to make an impact on all of my students, just like my teachers have made on me.” Ms. Ruddy talks about how she thinks students remember teachers for an entire lifetime because of what that teacher does, she says her goal is to “create a classroom full of love and acceptance.”
When asked what her favorite part about teaching was, she immediately replied, “My students.” Ms. Ruddy loves connecting with her students, some of her favorite parts about teaching are, “The fun, the silly, the serious moments I get to share with you. I have so many memories with my students, and that we’re creating now. I still stay in touch with students from previous years. My favorite part about teaching is getting to know all of you. I learn so much from each of you. I appreciate the uniqueness that each of you bring to my classes. I love seeing you learn and succeed, and when students overcome hardships, or make friendships and laugh, I just love to be a part of it, and witness it.” Ms. Ruddy is a kind, loving, and passionate teacher, always trying to create a supportive and welcoming environment in her classes.
Brooke Ehmann - Jones (she/her), an 8th grader at Glasgow MS has been a writer for the Panther Post since the 2020 school year. She has lived in Northern Virginia all of her life and plays on a soccer team, loves playing music on her saxophone and the piano, enjoys reading, writing, cooking, and painting, and loves spending time outdoors on the many hikes she and her family have been on. Brooke is also very passionate about the environment and enjoys learning about nature, and volunteering to protect it. She has two cats at home, and loves traveling to national parks with her family.
