by Clem Boyd, Communication Content Manager
Make learning fun? That’s the art of teaching. But for middle school teacher and 2003 Cedarville alumna Heidi Bruder, she became the art to keep her students engaged.
When COVID-19 made it necessary to move all her courses online, Bruder was feeling challenged to make the change herself. So, she got creative. She found an old costume bin in her attic and discovered ways to dress up her lessons. Before long, she was showing up in teaching videos as a pirate and a mad scientist.
When her own costume well ran dry, friends and neighbors pitched in with some of their own outfits. Add some creative makeup, and Bruder showed up as Yoda, a Picasso painting, and a ventriloquist’s dummy, among many other fun characters.
Bruder has grown accustomed to God showing up in unexpected ways, and this was just one more example. She quit running cross country at Cedarville, but by His hand, ended up running on a national championship team. With a middle school ministry, she ended up forming a close bond with a student who towered over her in size and who she found intimidating. Time and time again, Bruder has seen Jesus meet her in incredible ways.
And, most amazing of all for Bruder is how the Lord has revealed Himself as her loving, committed Father. There’s no disguising how much that means to her.
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More to the Story
Bruder showed up in costume for every one of her teaching videos during the pandemic.
Bruder ran for the 2001 Cedarville University cross country team that won national championships with the National Christian College Athletic Association and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,380 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, including its Bachelor of Arts in Middle Childhood Education program, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.