Jenny Rudd didn’t have to look far for an inspiration to go into teaching.
“My mom is a teacher. I’ve been influenced by her growing up, and have been lucky in knowing I wanted to teach my whole life.”
The Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English chose UWM alumna Rudd for the 2024 Outstanding Student Teacher Award. Rudd, who graduated from the School of Education in May, will be honored at the council’s annual convention in October.
Rudd completed her student teaching at Casimir Pulaski High School in Milwaukee, where she then accepted a full-time position. She taught creative writing and a Diploma Programme (DP) course on theory of knowledge to juniors and seniors. (The DP course is part of Pulaski’s curriculum as an International Baccalaureate high school.)
25 languages
Pulaski has a diverse student body, with students coming from more than 20 countries, collectively speaking 25 different languages.
Teaching creative writing to students who came in knowing little or no English was challenging, Rudd said, but her cooperating teacher and the supportive staff helped her meet those challenges. “My cooperating teacher (Bridget Spoerri) really pushed me to be independent, and the students were so fun.”
“We basically navigated the language issues by having the students write in their native language, then work with us on translation.” The teachers also allowed extra time for students who weren’t native speakers, the opportunity to use a Spanish-English dictionary if Spanish was their first language, and offered the option of using Google translate. “We did have a very diverse group, so there were a number of languages my students could speak, which is amazing,” Rudd said. “I just loved that.”
With the help of other bilingual teachers, she said, she was able to use the students’ native languages to help them develop their English writing skills and become enthusiastic about learning. “I loved hearing them chat with each other in their home languages.”
“It was great learning about a bunch of different cultures,” she added, “and having students integrate their own selves into what we were learning and talking about.”
Focused on student expression
Students kept arts-integrated journals of their work through a grant her cooperating teacher had. The two teachers gave the students prompts, which they could respond to and integrate into their journals. Using art supplies and writing responses to the prompts let them share their own culture and experiences – some of them traumatic – in those journals. “It was very much focused on student expression, which I really loved,” Rudd said.
As an avid reader herself, Rudd said she loves helping students discover and analyze literature and discover their own voices. “It can be hard for high schoolers because at that point, they either absolutely love it or hate it. Sometimes the hardest challenge is just to get them to buy in. Writing can be such an amazing escape and such a great way to express yourself and get whatever message you want out there.”
She was glad some of the students were comfortable talking to her outside of class about the issues they were dealing with. “High school can be very complicated for students,” she said. “It’s always rewarding to make a connection with a student, and they’d come in to talk to me about something outside of class, whether it was sports-related or job-related or whatever. I felt I’d really accomplished something whenever students felt comfortable telling me about their lives.”
Finding a balance
With the help of her cooperating teacher, Rudd said, she worked on figuring out what kind of teacher she wanted to be – finding the balance between creating a classroom that was warm, welcoming and supportive, but with high expectations.
She chose UWM after growing up in Wauconda, Illinois. Her dad is a UWM graduate, and her mom played on the soccer team before transferring to UW-Whitewater.
“UWM was a great support system for me, and I had multiple professors I truly treasure and am so grateful for.”
Her student teaching confirmed her career choice, Rudd said.
“The rewarding part was doing what I was meant to be doing. My whole academic career beforehand was always focused on being a teacher. So, it was really great when I started doing it, it was like ‘yes,’ I can’t see myself doing anything else.”
Rudd joins a long list of UWM English Education graduates who have received the award over the last few years.
“Someone has earned this award from UWM for the past seven years and intermittently in the previous decade,” said Kristine Lize, director of the English Education program, who nominated Rudd.
