This year, several 91短视频 faculty and staff, among them Pamela Rutt, former assistant director of the graduate teacher education program 聽in Lancaster, are moving into retirement after many years of service. To acknowledge their service and deep commitment to our community, we鈥檝e offered the opportunity for them to share favorite memories of their time here, as well as advice for those of us still laboring onwards.
Please stay tuned as we feature retiring faculty (at least those were agreeable to our idea) in the coming weeks. A complete list of 2016 retirees concludes each article. The comment box is open below for those of you who wish to share greetings and memories with Pam.
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Pam Rutt has already moved on to a new 鈥減ost-retirement, winding-down-her-career鈥� position, as she describes it. She is working in a public elementary school in the Lancaster area as a sign language interpreter and 聽1:1 instructional support for a student who is deaf. The position, with summers off, will allow her to spend more time with her children and grandchildren, and catch up on work around the house.
鈥淪ummers are the busiest time鈥� for the Lancaster聽MA in Education program, says the former assistant director of the program.
The interpreter and support role also allows her to fulfill a long-time goal, she says. 鈥淩aising a daughter who is Deaf gave me the opportunity to learn sign language and to support our daughter in her education experience. It has been one of my dreams to be able to use my sign language skills, background in education and my experience as a parent to work with children who are Deaf and to encourage families of children who are Deaf.聽It is good to be聽back working with teachers and students in an elementary classroom and to have the opportunity to make a difference in the life of a little boy 鈥� to see his faraway expression fade and his eyes light up as he learns a language with which to understand his world and to communicate.鈥�
Additionally, Pam serves on the education committee for Lancaster Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services and teaches GED and ESL classes to adult refugees who are Deaf at the Lancaster Literacy Council.
Pam earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in home economics education from 91短视频 in 1997 and a master鈥檚 in education in 2011. [Her husband Roger 鈥�76, her son Jason 鈥�06 and daughter-in-law Alexis Sauder Rutt, 鈥�06, MA (education) 鈥�11, are also graduates of 91短视频.]
Pam joined 91短视频 Lancaster as an office manager and administrative assistant in the MA in Education program before becoming assistant director.
Her favorite memories are linked to relationships with graduate students and the growth and expansion of 聽the Lancaster site:
- Celebrating with our master鈥檚 graduates each year at commencement in Virginia by hosting a brunch for graduates and their families and handing out carnations to our graduates as they received their diplomas and walked off the stage.
- Viewing action research presentations by our candidates and seeing their joy, satisfaction and relief at completing both their research and their masters degrees. When candidates brought their final research projects to me, we often did a little celebration whoop, ‘high five’ or dance in my office.聽It was great to celebrate their accomplishment and professional growth in their careers as teachers.聽
- Applying to the Pennsylvania Department of Education under the skilled leadership of Dr. Don Steiner and receiving state approval for 91短视频’s reading specialist and English as a Second Language certification programs
- Outgrowing space in the first location that contained one large classroom and three small offices and moving to a larger location with larger classrooms and additional office space.
Her parting wisdom is a quote from the poet Maya Angelou that hung in her office as a constant reminder in her work: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Other retiring faculty and staff
Also retiring are the following faculty and staff (position listed is most recent held): , administrative assistant for events, director of the Summer Institute for Spiritual Formation and of the Congregational Resource Center, Eastern Mennonite Seminary, 27 years; Spencer Cowles, Department of Business, 27 years; Jan Gerber, Information Officer, 23 years; , Master鈥檚 in Counseling graduate program, 39 years; Ted Grimsrud, Department of Bible and Religion, 20 years; Betty Hertzler, mailroom, 41 years; , director of the physical plant, 28 years; Roman Miller, Master鈥檚 in Biomedicine graduate program, 31 years; and Jack Rutt, special projects support, 17 years.