Mr. Ludwig is a long-term substitute and former GHS student who took over Calculus from Mrs. Tocheri.
How did you come to be a substitute teacher at GHS?
It was pretty serendipitous overall because I graduated GHS here in 2019; then went straight off to Bowden College in Maine and did all four years there and graduated last May, so it was 2023. I wanted to do something different so this past fall I went to New Zealand and worked on a high country sheep station that was rugged: 15,000 sheep [and] 25,000 acres of mountains and valleys and hills and whatnot. [I] had enough of the sheep stuff by January and just came home [back] to Granville, [my dad] bumped into Mr. Hinton, the principal. He was asking him if he knew any Denison grads or people who were around that could teach Calculus classes. My dad realized that I was home and that…my degree was in math and computer science at Bowden…so I decided to go for it. About a week later I was staring here and so far it’s been fantastic.
what was it like coming back to GHS as a former student?
Maybe deja vu – walking through the halls and seeing all the murals that are still there that I used to pass every day. I used to say jokingly that I don’t have any enemies teacher-wise. There’s also been quite a bit of difference too; when Mrs. Tocheri left, she was actually the longest-standing math teacher at that point. She was the newest teacher when I [went] here. Mrs. Schnabel, Mr. Fisher in Latin, Mrs. McDonald in Physics – [there are] all sorts of teachers that I had and [now] see around the school.
What do you enjoy about teaching?
Almost every aspect of it. I think a lot of the fun…of the teaching is the challenge of it. Especially the idea of introducing it to students – it’s definitely a challenge to try and deliver the material. All students differ, which I like; that’s what makes it really cool and challenging – presenting it with many different perspectives. That’s what I like about math: all the different angles you can take with it. I enjoy getting to know [the students] more or where they are coming from, working with them to see where they’re at, and drawing them into the classroom a bit more.
What’s your favorite experience as a long-term sub?
There have been a lot of moments where I’ve seen a lot of growth – especially from students who are on the fringes.
How have things changed in Granville since you graduated?
The student body seems more similar than I thought it would…it seems more cohesive than it used to be – more united. I will say though that, at least from what I’ve heard about other math classes, [there are] lower grades. Homework, I think, is one of those things that got less frequent/intense since I was here. There have been [fewer] students doing homework in general.
What inspired you to continue in education as your career?
Another part of my backstory is that both of my parents are educators. My mother teaches fifth grade at GIS right now and my dad is a math teacher up at Denison. So I’ve education has always been a part of my life. For a while, even though even though I’ve done tutoring or, at Bowden, TA stuff – even in those instances when I liked it – I was like, ‘oh, this is what my parents do, I don’t want to make a whole career out of it…’. My dad definitely instilled the value of math into me from a young age.
Tell me about your new job in Utah.
I was a part of this job placement program. I wanted to go out West – try something different. I was little I always visited the West and the national parks; I always loved it out there. Last Saturday I went out there for an in-person interview and to visit [the other school] and do a teaching demo and all that; it’s near Salt Lake City but also the Wasatch mountains, and then southern Utah has all these crazy rocks – the arches and canyons. There’s a lot of diversity and this crazy nature. The mountains themselves are a fifteen-minute drive from the school campus. It was even a rainy day [when I visited] but it was so beautiful still that I know that in terms of where I want to live, this would be fantastic. It’s called Waterford School – it’s an independent school – there’s more flexibility for moving out west instead of [having to] figure out [teaching] certification stuff.
What was your experience being a student at GHS?
It was good. I was pretty studious. I was in Orchestra; I played violin, which I still did at Bowden, so I still play. I played soccer here…most of the time I did Boy Scouts, then I was in Latin Club. I had Latin…Mr. Fisher; he’s one of the teachers I go back and visit more frequently now. It was a good experience in that regard – [I had] a solid group of friends.
What was your favorite subject in school?
Math and also Physics. I had Mrs. McDonald for two years because I took IAP with her. IAP was one of my turning points, I suppose, in my whole math career because it was all about the connection between math and physics – that illuminated things for me and I love that. The application of math – that’s one of my favorite things about it. Also Latin…being able to do that for four continuous years was pretty great.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I really don’t know. [I] take it year by year. Maybe I’m still teaching [at] some level somewhere or going back to school. Maybe I could get my Bachelor’s [degree] before that; maybe in the long term, I could become a professor at a college or university. I like to help communicate tough ideas. I’m really thinking about artificial intelligence, especially related to education – what that means, what might happen, and whatever productive ways we can use and embrace it.
