Get to know our tutors: Chris

Every other month you can find a new “Get to know our tutors” video right here on our blog. We’ve got some great ones so stay tuned!

Get to know Chris! He’s a great educator and was the very first tutor to join The Open Door Team.

Transcript:

Hi I’m Heather, and we’re trying something new. We’re going to be doing a little Get To Know Your Tutors! And it only made sense the very first one that the first one we do is with our tutor and my good friend Chris. How are you doing?

Very well thanks.

Okay, so why does it make sense for you to be our very first tutor doing this?

Probably because I was your very first tutor doing anything! So…I was first.

So yes, Chis and I go back and he and I were chatting about The Open Door before there was an Open Door! Why don’t you tell us a little bit briefly about your background.

Yes, my name is Chris Ruta, I tutor for The Open Door. I’m also a classroom teacher for the Upper Canada District School Board, teaching for 12 years now. I live in Dunrobin, just north of Ottawa, have a wife and two boys who are school-aged, just started school right now, so it’s kind of exciting.

And what’s your favorite things about working for The Open Door?

Probably the connections with the kids and the families I really like, having…you know you pick up where you left off, and you build relationships, and you talk about the things that are going on in their lives, and oftentimes end up talking about how the program and the tutoring has affected them – mostly with the parents, you know, the positive impacts that they see. They can’t wait to tell you about the progress that they made and that sort of stuff, so it’s pretty cool.

Well, I’m going to ask you a couple questions so we can get to know you a little bit better. What would you say is a fun-fact about yourself that your students probably wouldn’t know?

I’d probably say that the students I tutor don’t know that even though I’m their English tutor I’m actually a French teacher, and the students that I teach in French probably would not know that I’m an English tutor.

And what kind of things do you like to do to unwind?

I really like being outside so I play sports as well, so I am on a soccer team, hockey team, I play in a volleyball league and stuff like that. So, between being outside and in doing that, I’d say those are the two main things.

And between the tutoring, and your boys, and sports, and the job, you’re pretty busy!

I would say that I keep busy yes and definitely not a layabout.

 Ha ha, no. So I’m going to ask you some quick questions, don’t think about the answer too much and just say first thing that comes to your mind. All right?

Okay.

This is the speed-round here. Which are cooler. dinosaurs or dragons?

I’m gonna go with dinosaurs.

Are you a night owl or early bird?

Definitely night owl.

If you are stuck in an elevator and could only listen to one song forever, what would it be?

Oh man! Probably some sort of smooth jazz with no words so I don’t get sick of it.

What’s something you hate that you wished that you loved?

I’m going to go with tomatoes, because I like them cooked and in sauces and stuff and I really wish I could just enjoy them as a food, but I super-don’t.

There’s so many people who like cooked tomatoes and hate raw or vice versa. It’s one of those things.

Do you have any superstitions?

I really don’t think that I do, I used to, when I was in a bowling league as a kid, I used to do that the same way each time. I used to tell myself it was out of consistency but I think part of it might have been superstition as well. Pick up the same ball with the same hand, use the same one first, that sort of ridiculous stuff. So yeah, as it pertains to sports and that sort of thing maybe but certainly not in my daily life.

Right. Fair enough. So the last thing I’m going to ask is can you share just a short little story with us, something that was a really great moment that you had working with one of your students?

Yeah, it jumps right out. The best story that I have to share about that was after my first student’s birthday, which was roughly five months after we’d started working together, (if I remember correctly) the mom was practically crying telling me that all of her aunts and grandparents and stuff like that were just, their jaws hit the floor when she was reading her birthday cards out loud for the family when she hadn’t been able to do that prior. So just that that story itself sticks out more than I think anything else. It sums up what we do.

Fair Enough yeah. I can see that would be a standout. Yeah oh that’s great! Well thanks so much for taking a few minutes to chat and let us get to know you a little better.

My pleasure.

I’ll let you go for now and I’ll talk to you later.

Okay, thank you!