About the Teacher Following a successful teaching career in Pittsburgh, PA, Mrs. Ruthie Robbins moved to Buffalo in 2012 to work for Johns Hopkins University School of Education as an ELA/Literacy Instructional Facilitator in Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago, Boston, and San Antonio. Mrs. Robbins joined the staff of Notre Dame Academy in February 2017. Credentials include the Western PA Teacher Excellence Center Teacher of Excellence (2006), Disney Top 100 Teachers (2004), and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette All-Star Educator. She was also an organist/choir director in the Diocese of Pittsburgh from age 15 until moving to Buffalo. Mrs. Dines is delighted to be working with middle school students, directing her efforts toward providing a strong literacy background for students entering high school. Developing real writers for real purposes is the most logical and rewarding way to expose students to the power and pleasure that come from influencing the world by writing well, whether the purpose is to inform, persuade, or entertain.
Ms. Dines learning first-hand from education guru Jay McTighe at the ASCD
Educational Leadership conference in San Diego, California.