The Paw Print

By Alexa Gola, Associate News & Features Editor

Payton welcomed the class of 2028 into the building almost four months ago for the first time, and it also welcomed a new cohort of teachers. This year, there were six new staff members who joined the WPCP community! I met with Ms. Riuch, a new diverse learners teacher at Payton to hear her story. 

Paw Print: What is your role at Payton?

Ms. Ruich: [I am a] diverse learner teacher.

Paw Print: Can you tell me a bit about what that means, and what you do?

Ms. Ruich: First of all, I want to thank you for interviewing me and for extending the invitation. I just feel very flattered, and also like you’re welcoming me into the community, like I belong, and I love that. To answer your question, I see my role as support, academically, emotionally and functionally in the classroom for all students, specifically students with IEPs and 504s. I focus on [them] the most, but I’m here for all students. So my role is to bridge any gaps that might exist. 

Paw Print: Is there anything in particular that led you to want to do this kind of work?

Ms. Ruich: That’s a great question. It’s an important question. I’ll give the short answer: I’m the mother of a special needs child, so my experience as a mother informed my decision to want to help families with students who have exceptional needs to have all opportunities. 

Paw Print: What led you to come teach at Payton?

Ms. Ruich: As I mentioned, I think being a mother really informs a lot of my decision. Why? Because it’s powerful. I identify first and foremost as a mom. My other daughter went to Payton. So my experience as a Payton parent years ago was thrilling. [It was] a huge benefit to my entire family to have a daughter come here. I thought, if given the opportunity, I’d love to [help] other families have that opportunity. 

Paw Print: Can you tell me a bit more about your daughter that came to Payton?

Ms. Ruich: My daughter’s name [is] Natalia Ruich, Class of 2020. It’s just like it was yesterday. She had her four years at Payton, and her last year at Payton was [in] the throes of the pandemic. The way the Payton faculty and staff handled all the churn of the pandemic helped my daughter tremendously to navigate that time. You know, it was kind of scary for kids in school, but the Payton staff and faculty were amazing and helped her to navigate it all. 

Paw Print: What did she enjoy, and was she involved in any clubs or sports?

Ms. Ruich: She wrote for the Paw Print. She was very involved in political science, and went on to study political science at Emory University in Atlanta. She graduated with a double major in political science and environmental science with [the hope] of becoming a policy maker in the future. Right now, she works for the United States government as a commodity grader for the USDA. 

Paw Print: Is there anything you would connect about your daughter’s experience here with how you see your role here?

Ms. Ruich: I feel like the dedication to excellence and how the faculty demonstrated excellence and provided opportunities for my daughter outside the classroom [was important to me]. I would say they helped shape her idea of herself as a community leader. I also would like to help students identify themselves as leaders and expand opportunities for them to experience themselves as leaders. 

Paw Print: With that in mind, how do you plan to support students and prepare them for the future?

Ms. Ruich: My job is supporting students to achieve academically. Sometimes it means removing barriers or providing assists (scaffolding assignments, modifying assignments and maybe even reducing assignments) so that students can achieve at the same level as their peers here. I’m charged to do that as a diverse learner teacher. Would you mind repeating the question?

Paw Print: How do you plan to support students and prepare them for the future?

Ms. Ruich: Yes, so it’s the academic support that I outlined, and also to provide opportunities for them to demonstrate their genius and their skills. When all of us are achieving or at our potential, everybody benefits. So if we’re all operating in our place in the sun, everybody has their place in their sun. [I’m] getting a little philosophical here, but I really believe this. If every student finds their place in the sun , then the whole world benefits. Everybody in the community benefits. So if given the opportunity, given the chance, having the circumstances and the situations in the classroom or out, they discover that in themselves. I can’t tell them what it is they need to experience their strength, talents and skills on their own, but if I can facilitate those moments where they understand who they are and their gifts that they bring, then I will have achieved my personal teacher goal. Professionally, it’s modifying assignments and making accommodation. Personally, it’s having students recognize their genius. 

Paw Print: Do you have a favorite part of Payton so far?

Ms. Ruich: I have to say the first thing that comes to my mind, which is the students and the teachers. They’re so kind, and we all teach each other.

Paw Print: Where did you grow up, and where did you go to college?

Ms. Ruich: I grew up on the South Side of Chicago. Back of the Yards [was] my neighborhood that I grew up in. I also stayed on the South Side, [attending] St. Xavier University. That’s in the southwest [side of the city], so 103rd and Central Park Avenue. But yeah, [I am a] Southsider.

Paw Print: What are your hobbies outside of school?

Ms. Ruich: I love to read, watch movies and [go] biking along the lakefront. Those are the top things that I do when I’m not here.