MHS graduate receives award from University of Wisconsin
When Julie (Sellers) Kruger teaches Spanish, her students get a lot more than routine work out of a textbook, they get the advantage of sharing her experience.
Kruger, a 1991 graduate of Marion High School and the daughter of Leah and Robert Sellers of rural Florence, is the recipient of a John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award at the University of Wyoming.
The award is made possible by a fund established by Ellbogen to "foster, encourage and reward excellence in classroom teaching at the University of Wyoming."
Winners are selected from a list nominated by students. Awards are based entirely on classroom performance and helpfulness to students.
An assistant lecturer in the Spanish Department at UW since 1999, Kruger brings real-life experiences into her classroom.
"Julie is most knowledgeable about the Spanish language and culture, cares deeply about her students, is very competent in her methods of teaching, spends an inordinate amount of time preparing her classes, and really knows how to make learning a foreign language fun," says a colleague.
"There is a lot of interaction in her classes, as students learn how to dance the Meringue, act out skits and do many other participatory exercises. Not that making learning fun should be a primary goal for teachers, but when it can be achieved so effortlessly as Julie seems to be able to achieve it, it certainly becomes a bonus."
A co-worker says Kruger is willing to undertake other projects outside the classroom. "She has taken on the role of 'press secretary' for our department," the co-worker says. "In that role, she is responsible for collecting and disseminating public information about the department for the university, city, and regional publications. She handles this responsibility with utmost diligence and dexterity. But it is her classroom skills that her colleagues notice."
"Kruger joined the Department of Modern and Classical Languages when staffing needs were critical and taught quite demanding courses for a first-time lecturer," the co-worker said. "Her student evaluations reflect the zeal with which she took on her classroom responsibilities. Students feel that she is truly interested in helping them succeed in second-language acquisition."
It takes a certain type of professor to reach students, one of Kruger's students said. "While in Julie's classes, I never felt inferior. It is never easy to speak up in any class, but that difficulty is magnified a thousand times when the class is in a foreign language," the student noted.
"Julie accepted and even expected her students to make mistakes. She always reasoned to us, 'that is how we learn.' I can personally say that Julie gave me confidence to speak up, even if there was a chance that I would miss a word or two." another student writes. "Julie is the type of person who shows passion for her profession and zest for life, which in turn, is reflected in her teaching. When students take a course from Julie, they are treated as people, not as paying customers."
Another student praises Kruger's ability to be a friend outside the classroom. "Julie's ability to get along with students in a 'non-dominant' manner has given many others and myself the opportunity to build a real friendship with her," he says. "She has advised me, counseled me, and more importantly, listened to me. Her encouragement, enthusiasm and love for the language have proved beneficial to me as I have been influenced to study abroad in Spain this spring semester."
Kruger received her B.A. (1994) in Spanish, French (1996) and M.A. degrees in Spanish Literature (1996), all from Kansas State University. She also completed her doctoral student in Spanish Literature work (1997-1998) at the University of Kansas and earned an M.A. (2000) degree in International Studies from UW.
