VERMILLION, S.D. — A woman with a diverse teaching background is using her experiences at the U.S. Military Academy and a professional ballet company in overseeing the University of South Dakota’s foreign language program.
Laura Vidler said her desire to serve the country after the 9/11 terrorist attacks led her to apply for a position at one of the nation’s premier leadership institutions located in West Point, New York, The Volante reported.
“For me, it was a great opportunity because I felt like I didn’t have the skills to enlist in the military,” Vidler said. “I felt at the time it was some way I could contribute and serve my country in a really difficult and challenging time.”
The 12 years Vidler spent teaching Spanish to cadets helped her acquire leadership skills instilled by the academy, she said. She’s now trying to implement those skills in her new role as department chair of the modern language and linguistics department at the University of South Dakota. She would not be able to chair a department at West Point because those positions are reserved for military members.
Vidler was initially inspired to pursue a teaching career after working as a dance instructor at a ballet company in San Diego. She said she was a ballet dancer, but it can be a short-lived career and she found teaching “extremely satisfying.”
Vidler still teaches Spanish in her new role. In a class she teaches, students must use conversation skills in real-world situations, such as serving as interpreters at a tax assistance program.
One of Vidler’s long-term goals for the department she chairs is to convey the impact of learning a new language.
“The student population is less diverse from where I was (in New York), and so more than ever, we need to be able to highlight the importance of the study of languages and cultures to graduate globally aware citizens,” she said.
