Mr. Ludens, a teacher in his fourth year at South Middle School, began teaching in Harrisburg after graduating from USD. He teaches math at the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade levels. Explaining why he chose to become a teacher, Ludens stated, “I had positive role models that influenced me when I was growing up and most of them were teachers and coaches. I wanted to give back and be that positive influence in students’ lives.” Furthermore, Ludens stated that his favorite part of teaching is, “Building relationships with students. I believe that I cannot be successful in teaching my math to my students without first building a relationship with them.” In Ludens’ eyes, the most rewarding part of his job is watching his students experience success, whether inside or outside of the classroom.
While he has experienced success early on in his career, Mr. Ludens has also faced a few challenges. At times, he has struggled to find time to carry out all of the ideas he has for his classroom. Discussing this challenge, he explained, “I have ideas that I would love to do in my classroom, but there is just not enough time in the day for prep and execution.” One of Ludens’ strong suits as a teacher is that he enjoys teaching the same content in multiple ways. Ludens began his career teaching all of his lessons the same way; now, he teaches the same lesson in a variety of different formats. This skill, which is difficult to develop, plays a big role in the success of his students.
In the future, Ludens plans to expand his influence by taking leadership roles in his school. Eventually, he wants to move into an administrative role. He recently took a big step toward this goal by finishing his master’s degree. After he finishes his time in Harrisburg, he hopes to move to a warmer location to become a college professor.