Written by Madison Zepp
Madison Zepp is a high school intern with the Garden Spot Communities Creative Team. After expressing interest in pursuing a career in education, she was introduced to Garden Spot Village resident Ruth Buehler.
“I played teacher as a kid,” says Dr. Ruth Buehler, a former elementary school teacher and college professor at Millersville University. Reflecting on these memories of her past, Ruth recounted the specific methods that got her through her many years of teaching. While talking with Ruth, it was evident how passionate she was about her past. Her advice left a profound mark on the way I see education.
Ruth is a Cocalico graduate who attended Millersville University, where she studied special education. Ruth began teaching special education at an elementary school while she continued to further her own education. Following getting her masters degree, the chairman of the department told her to write a resignation letter for her current superintendent and acceptance letter for him. That was the moment she began working for the university.
During her many years of service as both a public elementary school teacher and a college professor, Buehler learned the ins and outs of the field. In our conversation, Ruth inspired me with an extremely effective 12 points:
Teaching can be one of the most uplifting, exciting things you can do. Helping people in life can be so inspirational. With this thought, teaching also has its extreme down parts. It is simply a reality of dealing with a public service job. When something gets difficult, or you become overwhelmed, Ruth simply said she stayed mellow. There will be difficult times. As long as you don’t give up and keep trying your hardest, you will get through it. It is so easy to become discouraged in your first few years, but those are also the most difficult ones. Sometimes, it isn’t best to be confrontational in a situation.
When people, especially bosses, give you criticism, it is not meant to harm you. Do not take criticism too deeply. People tend to realize that critiques someone may have on your work, but it is not meant to affect you personally. It is one of the most difficult things to do, but you should never become defensive when someone offers a suggestion. It is only meant to help you.
This piece of advice has stuck with me the most since our conversation. Ruth has such a unique perspective on things that I find fascinating. Names are the first thing a person is given. They are extremely meaningful to people, especially students. As frustrating as the career may become, you should never use someone’s name as a curse. Even if it doesn’t appear so, using someone’s name negatively can be extremely harmful and hurtful. Since names are so important to people, it is also crucial that you learn them. Especially in a college setting with bigger classes, it is hard to remember people’s names, but Ruth says that this is extremely important for running a classroom. It shows respect to your students.
Since you should never be defensive of other’s evaluations, it is also important that you know what you can improve upon. Ruth says that you should always ask yourself, “What are three things I can improve?” Being aware of your own flaws makes it easier to improve yourself and produce the best work possible.
It is always extremely important to listen to the other side of the story, especially when dealing with people like parents. Ruth recounted a specific story to me about how she learned this. While teaching elementary special education, she was extremely pleased with a student and his behavior. She decided to call home and tell his family her praise of the student. Once his mother answered the phone and discovered it was her son’s teacher, she immediately became annoyed. Once Ruth asked more about the situation, she discovered that in every other classroom prior, teachers only called home to talk negatively about her son. I think this story has two lessons to gain: you never know what somebody else is going through, and praise is extremely valuable to people. Without knowing the other side of the story, Ruth could have developed a negative relationship with the parent for the rest of the year.
Ruth says that now more than ever, she has realized just how important prayer is. When you feel lost or frustrated with a situation, just pray. Praying for direction is one of the most important things to do. God’s guidance is such an important keystone in your life. God has a path for you. Remain faithful to Him and His guidance, and you will feel clarity.
Students need motivation. As a teacher, it is important that you make sure they are motivated, no matter the task. If you bribe students with things, they have some control over the situation. Rather, you can give them something equal. Ruth explained how in her classroom, to give students motivation, she would teach them an ASL sign after they completed an assignment. This way, she ensured the students would complete their work, and then they would get a reward. It made students excited to do their assignments because they knew what they would get to learn after.
Through her years, Ruth employed a “sandwiching” technique whenever she needed to say something negative. Whether it is to a student or colleague, it can be hurtful to just hear an outright critique. With her “sandwiching” technique, Ruth would pair negatives with positives. This helps so people don’t become overly defensive whenever you give them constructive criticism, and it can help them reflect upon their positives as well.
Managing a classroom is difficult. Ruth recounts that whenever she had a particularly bad class, she would befriend the bully of the class. Although at first it sounds counterintuitive, befriending the bully helps keep the classroom in line since they know you are allied. Ruth described how in one instance, she even taught the bully of the class how to play piano.
In a college setting, it is hard to keep kids punctual and motivated. To ensure they came to class on time, Ruth came up with a distinct strategy. At the very beginning of class, she would go over test information for the unit. As a result, students were on time because they didn’t want to miss content that would be on the test. Ending promptly was also important because it showed respect for the students’ time.
This was one of Ruth’s favorite strategies to discuss. As a teacher, you are always in control, which students can begin to resent. By making the students think they have some control of a situation, it keeps them engaged and motivated. Ruth described the best way to do was this through open assignments. She would simply set parameters around an assignment and leave the rest up to the students. She would also give the class options and let them vote. She remained in control of the situation, while letting students think that they also had control over what they did.
Keeping students engaged must be one of the most important parts of teaching. Students cannot learn if they aren’t paying attention. Many of Ruth’s methods helped to keep students content and engaged during her classes. Keeping students engaged with content is one of the most difficult and important things to do.
As an intern at Garden Spot Communities, there is an array of experiences available depending on your specific interests or life path. I was deeply impacted by my visit with Ruth. She has such passion for her former career, and it is extremely touching to see somebody this enthusiastic about something. Ruth reflects so highly upon her years in education, and it makes me excited for my own future. It is so meaningful for somebody so experienced and passionate to give their insight.
Ruth found purpose in education for so many years. It is evident how much passion she has for the field just from one conversation with her. In retirement, Ruth also finds purpose with things here at Garden Spot Village. Ruth assists by editing Destination magazine every six months. Garden Spot provides so many opportunities for anyone here. Whether you are an employee, intern, or resident, you will find purpose here.