Bonjour Ms. Rudge

Written by: Sierra Park and Kate Puhlmann

Edited by: Madeleine Homer

Photos by: Ms. Rudge

From teaching French, to drama, to history, to everything in between, Ms. Rudge is not only a versatile and amazing teacher, but an even better person when you get to know her. She has made such a positive impact on T.A. Blakelock in the past three years, and we are so lucky to have her.

Ms. Rudge always knew that an office job was not for her, but it was not until university that she discovered her passion for teaching. First, she earned an undergraduate degree at Queen's University with a major in French and a minor in History. After, she completed teachers’ college at Brock University. Ms. Rudge always knew she wanted to be a high school teacher, not a primary school teacher, because she could never picture herself helping kids with basic tasks. 

Ms. Rudge teaches French as her main subject, but she also teaches history, civics, careers, and drama. She wishes she could teach anthropology, psychology, and sociology (APS) in French, and bring dance courses to Blakelock in the future. Ms. Rudge would love to share her passion for dance and provide the opportunity to students because it is so expensive as an extracurricular. Providing a dance course for students of all backgrounds of dance would also broaden our already diverse and thriving arts department. 

In her free time, Ms. Rudge likes to walk and listen to podcasts, read, take dance classes, and bake. She currently has a sourdough obsession, calling it “satisfying and rewarding.” One thing people do not know about her is that she enjoys trivia. Ms. Rudge and her fiancé practice trivia questions very often and she would love to join TAB’s Reach for the Top trivia team. 

When Ms. Rudge was asked what one song, artist, and album she would listen to for the rest of her life, she said Fast Car by Tracey Chapman because it has sentimental value. The song Fast Car is about finding yourself, making your own choices, and it was the last song she ever danced to at a dance competition. The artist she chose was Taylor Swift due to her variety, and her album of choice was Mount Joy’s debut album.

When asked about hopes for the future, Ms. Rudge said her dream is to spend a summer living in Europe to see what it’s like and explore different cultures. She also wishes she could live in a  French-speaking country in Europe - or Amsterdam, because her fiancé’s family is from there, and she could see herself living there. The feminist in her would like to get her Master’s Degree or PhD to say she is smarter than her fiancé, and because she thinks learning is cool. Her ultimate goal in life, however, is to learn how to do a backflip.

Ms. Rudge’s book recommendation for fans of fantasy is Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, saying that it is a combination of Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. Another book she recommends is The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, which is eye-opening in terms of anxiety, mental illness, and feeling not alone. 

Ms. Rudge’s advice for people looking to pursue post-secondary education is to take courses that you are interested in, and not to just take the maths and sciences because that is what society values. “If you're gonna wake up every day and go to a course or a job you're not interested in, your life is going to be so draining, so take the courses you’re passionate about,” she said.

When asked if the dance team could perform at her wedding, her response was, “Of course, dance team rules.”