Ruthanne Swenson

The Music of Kindergarten

Ask Ruthanne Swenson what she likes most about teaching kindergarten, and she’ll say that it’s the constant challenge of extending what they’re learning and making it meaningful. And whether it’s by singing, reading, or the ever-popular kindergarten circus or "Little Red Hen" operetta, her students are often too busy having fun to realize how much they’re learning.

Ask her what she thinks of Breck, and she says, "I’ve taught in a lot of schools — public and private — and this place is by far the best. It’s the team I work with. They’re not just colleagues, they’re friends."

"Ruthanne is an expert at putting together a classroom environment that challenges children," says [former] Lower School Director Julie Elam. "She inspires the rest of the kindergarten team to be more creative and effective," she says. “It’s because she’s such a lifelong learner herself — always reading, thinking, and looking for the best resources."

Ruthanne has lived all over the country but found her way back to her native Minnesota in 1987. A graduate of Minneapolis’ Roosevelt High School and the University of Minnesota (both bachelor’s and master’s degrees), she has lived in San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, and Lafayette, Louisiana.

In Lafayette, she started a cooperative, parent-owned school. But with the oil business bust in the mid-80s, she and her husband, Dick, decided it was time to head home. “He’d always wanted to sell houses on Lake Minnetonka," she says, “and so he became a realtor with Edina Realty." Like his wife, Dick Swenson says the greatest part of being a real estate agent is the opportunity to help young people. “He loves dealing with first-time buyers," says Ruthanne.

Both inside and outside of school, Ruthanne is a generous neighbor who loves music, reading, and entertaining. “People always accuse me of running a hotel," she says, “but I love to have guests." When the Swensons entertain, they often serve foods they learned to love in Louisiana. “Dick is a great Cajun cook," says Ruthanne, who admits to “spicing up" more than one Minnesota palate.

She loves gardening, reading, spending time with her grandchildren Madeline, Spencer, Sarah, and a newborn who was due at presstime, but even when relaxing, she rarely sits still. “I’m always revamping my garden," she says, “and I probably have hundreds of books waiting to be read."

At school, her warmth is equally legendary. Says [former] kindergarten colleague Bonnie Zeff,  who has taught in the classroom next to Ruthanne’s for ten years, "She’s a wonderful next-door neighbor who always lets us borrow things."

And all through Lower School, students and colleagues admire Ruthanne’s musical side, too. “I think she knows absolutely every song ever written for young people," says Elam. Adds Zeff, “It’s so nice to hear her piano playing. It adds such great atmosphere to the neighborhood!"

Someday, Ruthanne says, she’d love to write a children’s book. If it’s anything like its author, the book will be intelligent, creative, fun, and very popular with children and adults alike.