Get to Know HFC: Maggie Rutkowski's journey from skepticism to her dream career
Maggie Rutkowski had no desire to teach. But her love of language, and a serendipitous experience, changed her mind.
“I wanted to be an interpreter for an import/export business,” recalled Rutkowski, HFC Spanish instructor and faculty chair of World Languages. “When I was a teaching assistant during my grad school days at Bowling Green, I had to teach a class as part of my grad program. I lucked into it and loved doing it.”
From there, the path became increasingly clear. Teaching would become her career.
“I thought it would be amazing if I spoke another language”
The eldest of two, Rutkowski was born and raised in Farmington. She has been married to Dan for 10 years and they have two children, ages 4 years and 10 months. They make their home in Toledo, OH.
During her time at Farmington High School, Rutkowski took a Spanish class and fell in love with the language.
“I thought it would be amazing if I spoke another language,” she said. “I could connect with millions of other people.”
After graduating from high school, Rutkowski earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and English from Siena Heights University. She also earned a master’s degree in Spanish from BGSU and a master’s degree in foreign language teaching from Michigan State University.
Falling in love with the diversity of HFC’s students
Rutkowski has been teaching for 15 years. She began teaching at HFC in 2011. Prior to HFC, she taught at BGSU.
“I fell in love with the diversity of the student population here at HFC and the vibrant community that is Dearborn,” said Rutkowski. “I like the smaller class sizes and I collaboration with my coworkers on new initiatives. That’s what a community college is for. It was the right fit for me.”
For the Fall 2023 semester, Rutkowski is teaching the following classes at HFC:
Rutkowski’s favorite class to teach is Intermediate Spanish II.
“For this class, we switched an Open Educational Resources tool, which opens us up to new topics,” she explained. “Getting away from the textbook has been fun and liberating.”
Inspiring a deeper level of learning
“Maggie is inventive, using theories and ideas from other fields to create language lessons that inspire a deeper level of learning,” said HFC English instructor Ruth Ann Schmitt. “She taught a creative writing essay, ‘The Collage,’ to her students; they were asked to write about language, culture, travel, and customs, making insightful connections.”
During her time at HFC, Rutkowski has been involved in several committees, including:
- The School of Liberal Arts Curriculum Committee
- The Committee for the Assessment of Student Learning
- The World Languages Committee
- The Library Committee
- The Barrett Creative Writing Committee
“I enjoy interacting with students and being part of the connection I see between faculty and students,” said Rutkowski. “I think that’s what a community college should do; that’s our purpose.”
The freedom to grow HFC’s language programs
Rutkowski admitted she has a difficult time convincing her students at times how much progress they have made in terms of their language development.
“It’s harder for them to see how much they’ve grown,” she said. “I can see their progress a little easier than they can. That’s the benefit of teaching all four Spanish classes: I get to see that full spectrum.”
For someone who didn’t plan to go into teaching, it’s become Rutkowski’s dream job.
“I love it,” she said. “I’m really lucky to be here at the College. My supervisors have always trusted me to make changes and improvements to the curriculum. They have given me the freedom to grow HFC’s language programs. The students here at HFC are amazing as are my colleagues. I couldn’t ask for better students.”