“Truly humbling!” said Mrs. Brooke Ruffin of being nominated as April’s Teacher of the Month! “I have so much appreciation and respect for these parents. They want what is best for their kids and they have been so supportive of me as a teacher.”
Mrs. Ruffin has been teaching for 17 years but has only been teaching fourth grade at Christ the King in Daphne for the past six. She previously taught second and Pre-K 4.
“I’ve taught in many different schools, but Christ the King is the only Catholic school.” She shared that her favorite teaching moment so far is when the students are all gathered in mass and singing praises together, “I feel like I’m getting a little glimpse of heaven!”
Pursuing a career that could really make a difference was why Mrs. Ruffin decided to become a teacher. She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a Bachelor in Elementary Education. She chose to work with elementary aged students because they are genuine with a positive view on life.
Faith has played a huge role in Mrs. Ruffin’s career and in helping her to stay motivated to teach with excellence. “On the days I’m not ‘feeling it’, I pray for each student by name to remind myself of my why!”
She often reflects on the fact that her students count on her to make learning a positive experience. To help them stay motivated and engaged, Mrs. Ruffin shared her secret is a lot of laughter! “We laugh a lot!” she said. Her belief is that if they are having a good time, it makes the challenging circumstances that arise a lot easier to work through. For example, when teaching went virtual during the pandemic in 2020, a flat Mrs. Ruffin helped engage students online! “It was such a shock to have to suspend the school year, and I wanted to make sure my second graders knew that I was thinking of them,” she said. “So I mailed them a flat version of me.”
Beyond the subject matter Mrs. Ruffin teaches her students each year, she hopes her students will know two other things. One being that they are loved and the other being that they are more than capable of accomplishing hard things!
Mrs. Ruffin loves spending time with her family, including her husband of 17 years, Steve, and their two children, Nora and Carter. They love to play board games, watch movies and get outside! She also loves to read. In fact, if she hadn’t pursued teaching, Mrs. Ruffin thinks she would have pursued becoming an author.
