Ms. Balduf, The Wonder Woman Of Our School

Emily P. and Maggie W.|April 27, 2023

Wonder Woman and Ms. Balduf. One is an inspiring, strong, wise hero, and the other is Wonder Woman. 

Obviously, Ms. Balduf does not wear Wonder Woman’s attire, and to our knowledge, she does not possess the superpowers of the princess of Themyscira. This is because in actuality, Ms. Balduf doesn’t need super strength or speed. She possesses something even better. 

Ms. Balduf possesses the power of English.

Okay, okay, maybe not as cool as throwing a building or something, but hopefully many students would agree it’s still pretty neat.

Either way, powers aren’t what make up the character of a hero. Rather, it would be Frost’s heroine’s origins and traits that make her into the wonder we see!  

English teacher Ms. Balduf by her desk and shelves, with fictional character merchandise, inside her classroom.

Ms. Balduf’s origin story was that she always loved reading since she was small, and the library was one of her favorite places to go during middle school. Whether it was the magic of books, the quietness, or the thrill of paper cuts that made her love that library will never be known.

On the walls of her middle school library, she saw the quote: “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside a dog, it’s too dark to read.” 

“I don’t go back to the quote often because it makes sense, but because I like the wordplay,” explains Ms. Balduf.

In fact, Ms. Balduf has that very same quote on her classroom’s wall!

After a journey of what I can assume was filled with crazy, off the rails studying in college, she safely made it to our school.

Of course, there are still gaps in this origin that aren’t known, but it’s not like I can pull up a comic volume that talks about it so let’s move on.

In all seriousness, Ms. Balduf and Wonder Woman do have things in common.

Disclaimer: If you’re expecting the mention of a magic lasso in what is about to be listed, you are as wrong as using “your” when you need to use “you’re” in a sentence. 

Ms. Balduf and Wonder Woman’s similarities:

1. Loyal. Wonder Woman is known to be loyal because she protects humans, and our very own Ms. Balduf has always shown drive and commitment to helping students turn in late assignments and persevere in her class.

2. Capable. Wonder Woman is fierce in battle, capable of taking care of herself and others. Ms. Balduf manages  to rally up her students without the need of a lasso. Yes, I mentioned the lasso. Not magic though.

3. Kind. Ms. Balduf has always been caring to her students, cheering them on in their work and progress. Those  who are lucky enough to be her students will surely tell you she is kind. And I guess that Wonder Woman is wonderful or something.

A wall in Ms. Balduf’s classroom with a quote from her old school library.

There is more to be said about the similarities between the two accomplished people mentioned today. And sure, Wonder Woman is a fictional character, but who is to say Ms. Balduf isn’t a jumble of pixels as well.

Thank you to all teachers, and to Ms. Balduf. You are truly wonderful!