Caledonia Argus

Teacher began career at Brownsville school

Posted: 6/25/02

By Shannon McKinney
Argus News Reporter

Steve Rukavina has been teaching for so long, itís hard for him to imagine doing anything else.

He retires this year from 26 years at the Caledonia school district, for a total of 38 years of teaching altogether in other districts.

Rukavina spent his first three years teaching elementary education at other districts and then spent nine years teaching methods of elementary education at the college level. While teaching college, he earned a doctorate in elementary education. He returned to public elementary teaching in 1976 with a position in the Caledonia school system.

He explained that he was over-worked at the last university where he worked, and he felt like he needed a job that was better suited for his young familyís needs. He added that he also missed being an elementary teacher. ìI wanted to be back in a small town where it was best for my family and me,î he said.

Rukavinaís first five years at the public school system were spent teaching 4th though 6th grades at the Brownsville elementary school. At the time, Peggy Eggert taught the lower grades.

Rukavina said it was challenging to work with 20 kids between three grades, plus be responsible for teaching music, art and physical education. It was much different than teaching college.

He said, ìCollege work is heavy on theory. In school, you have to set theory aside and itís what works. You have to be practical. Some of the theory gets in the way. Theory drives practice and practice drives theory. It works both ways.î

Rukavina also had the opportunity to work with Lois Davy teaching one year at Freeburgís elementary school shortly before it closed. He said Davy was known as a legend in Freeburg for teaching the younger grades for so many years.

Freeburgís close knit community deeply impressed Rukavina. He said it was just like working with a family. He explained, ìShe (Davy) taught me how to work. They looked out for each other so much. A sixth grader helped a fourth grader.î

Working in those one-room school house situations was definitely a different way to come back into public school teaching, recalls Rukavina.

The small community schools were eventually closed because it was seen as financially more efficient to keep the teaching in one school.

Rukavina says he hated to see the smaller schools close because they were so closely knit to their communities. He said, ìThereís no question that the small town family environment was lost; on the other hand, they learned to become a part of a bigger community.î

Building relationships builds community

He says its important for students to have relationships with the adults in their community because it strengthens that sense of togetherness and working toward the same goal. He explained why his own relationship with adults is so important too. ìWhen adults do or donít work together, they (the kids) can feel it. Building a school together is so important. Freeburg, Brownsville and Eitzen knew how to do it. Itís the same need today. Itís finding common ground and coming together for the sake of the whole district,î he said.

He posed the question, ìHow do you build from the grass roots up so that you all feel together?î

One example where he sees the community pulling together is those who have volunteered to help pack and move the old high school to the new school. ìThey work side-by-side for their own cause,î he said.

Rukavina says he has been through seven principals in 26 years and always made it a priority to work with each individual. ìIt didnít matter how. You find a way to work with them for the benefit of the school,î he said.

Program promotes success for struggling student

Two years ago, Rukavina went to then principal Percy Lingen to propose developing an early intervention program to help students with reading and math. This program would focus more on the younger grades, kindergarten through third.

Before his proposal, Title I teachers worked with students in a small group setting, one teacher to several students. With this new focus, Rukavina worked with students one-on-one and developed testing material that could indicate exactly where each student was at. Then, a program was put in place to help the student master each new skill level until they reached the appropriate grade level.

He said the key to successful math and reading skills is to catch the students when theyíre struggling in kindergarten and first grade.

He said, ìItís so important. If they canít have success in first grade, it makes it difficult for the rest of the elementary years. Once they start struggling in second and third grade, it takes an effort to bring them up to grade level.î

The Title I program, with its new changes, has been successful, he says.

Rukavina also worked as grad standards technician last year along with Title I coordinator position. It has given him the opportunity to expand his teaching to a wider range of age groups. ìIíve enjoyed these last two years because I worked with all these teachers and younger kids. I discovered I could teach kindergartners,î he said.

Wife influenced teaching

Rukavina credits his wife, Johanna for teaching him about this early intervention method. He said, ìSheís been a big impact on my later years working with younger students.î

His wife teaches first grade in Holmen and was attending a reading diagnosis class at UW-L when she gave Rukavina the idea for enhancing the Title I position. Before becoming a first grade teacher, Johanna spent 12 years at the Caledonia school system as a reading resource teacher working with struggling students.

His two sons, Paul, 30, and Marc, 26, have grown up in the Caledonia school system and have gone on to be teachers themselves. Paul is in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he is earning his doctorate in kinesiology and will eventually teach it.

Marc is a Spanish teacher in Black River Falls and presently is in Costa Rica with his students.

Rukavina wonít be around next year to see a another era of teaching, but that doesnít bother him. He said the building doesnít change what needs to happen in the schools.

He plans to spend his retirement doing things he hasnít had the time to do like spending more time with his family, helping his wife with her job and doing Tai Chi.

Rukavina said he spent seven months learning Tai Chi from instructor John Kotsias, who moved to Washington in November.

He also hopes to continue in teaching at a part time level next year at the school.

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