On paper, Mr Ruffin is one of our science teachers, and his classes cover Earth Science and Oceanography. However, if you were to ask him what he thinks students learn from him, he would give a more mindful answer.

“I teach students how to connect the dots, how to solve things they might encounter at the next level,” Mr. Ruffin said.

This is just one aspect that makes Mr. Ruffin an example of how one can become an expert at doing something they love, which is evident given his care for his past and his students. Any student that has him will know that he has plenty of stories to tell, with years of wisdom behind him.

Mr. Ruffin was first inspired to be a teacher when he was a student himself in the 70’s. His school had just hired their first African-American principal, and that principal was an active mentor in his life. Said principal encouraged him and trained him to have the skills he has today. 

“ [He] spoke into my life, and encouraged me to train the next generation to connect from Point A to Point B, and just to create an environment where they can grow,” Mr. Ruffin shared. 

Mr Ruffin cites this as instrumental to how he teaches today, still using that advice given to him in his youth years later.

Since 2001, Mr. Ruffin has taught everywhere from high school and college, to private and public schools like Bethel, gaining a lot of stories over the years. 

For one, he believes that his most impactful experience while teaching was with a student named Jamie Norbeck. He was a student from a farming family during a farming strike, but who had an interest in public speaking. Despite his challenges, Jamie would go on to perform well with speeches and would grow up to be a regional director for an ACE hardware store. 

 “To watch Jamie go to these events…, and to be selected #1 in the state of Virginia, and to see him now…was the most exciting moment for me,” he reflected.  

Mr. Ruffin also spends time coaching the girl’s’ tennis team since 2002. When he first volunteered to coach, he made a point to hire professionals to help train the team, which helped lead them to their victory in the district for the first time.

How exactly do all these experiences affect his current style of teaching today? Mr Ruffin prioritizes being organized, respecting key values, and building a relationship with his students. 

He believes that rejecting organization is rejecting success, and that honesty and respect builds a good foundation needed in life. He also admits to constantly learning, like “listening to what [his] students say, and not so much my agenda”.

“The students have made me a better teacher,” he explained further on. “ I’m always changing and evolving based on what I encounter with the students, my relationship with the students, and connecting with the students.”

All in all, Mr Ruffin and his students are both learning and teaching each other in class. While he is indeed experienced at his career, he admits that he is still learning each and every day.

When asked what he wanted to share with our readers, Mr. Ruffin already had a quote by John C. Maxwell picked out: “Change is inevitable, growth is optionable.” Based on Mr. Ruffin’s career, it’s clear that he evokes the theme of the quote to a tee.