Known in her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, as Ruthie Sommers or Ruthie Dines, the former Montour School District teacher and Diocese of Pittsburgh organist now resides, teaches, and writes most often in Buffalo, NY. In 2012, Ruthie moved to Buffalo, NY, to work for Johns Hopkins University’s Talent Development Secondary as an ELA Instructional Facilitator, supporting teachers and administrators in low-performing schools in Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago, Boston, and San Antonio. Now married to her high school sweetheart, Jay Robbins, Ruthie teaches ELA, literature, and music at St. John the Baptist School in Kenmore, NY. Ruthie & Jay also keep a small condo in Pittsburgh and return as often as possible.
Ruthie hated to write until she was 37 years old. In her elementary and high school education, grammar instruction totally eclipsed the process that is writing. Never feeling sure of what the teacher wanted, learning to write was stressful compared to mastering the finite information tested in other college subjects.
On the same day in the summer of 1990, separate commendations from two professors in Duquesne University’s Graduate School of English instantly erased years of strain and doubt. Ruthie lay awake that night thinking of all the things she’d like to write, and she hasn’t stopped since. She also realized how her own words of encouragement could affect the lives of her students.
From the first day of first grade, Ruthie loved everything about school. She went into teaching because it was the only way to get back into that setting as an adult.
With a natural focus on authentic experiences, Ruthie was first a business educator. Whether running small classroom businesses in Intro to Business, teaching Gregg Shorthand, or supervising Co-op students at their job sites, Ruthie equipped high school students with practical knowledge and real-world skills that would benefit them as they entered the adult world.
When Ruthie switched to teaching English fifteen years later, she was convinced that giving students a strong foundation in literacy was perhaps the best way she could spend a life. With the tag line “Real Writers for Real Purposes,” Mrs. Robbins wants every student to experience the power and the pleasure that come from reading and writing well.
When she was three years old, Ruthie asked Santa for a record player and “lots of records.” He delivered an RCA Victor player and two boxed sets of records—one classical and the other hymns. She started dancing school that same year, and from then on, music and dancing were her happiness.
Blessed to grow up alongside rock ‘n roll, the soundtrack of Ruthie’s life ranges from the Everly Brothers to the Motown hits (thank you, Smokey), the Beatles, Beach Boys, Van Morrison, and all the other saints of the music world.
Music is to Ruthie’s spirit as water is to the body. As a teacher, she’s known to play a “Song of the Day,” tied into the day’s lesson or events. In her first novel, Dreams I’ll Never See, music is raised to the level of a character, as that is its role in her own life.
ON THE ROCKS NEWS
Are you excited about the upcoming release of On The Rocks? We are, too. So much so that we can’t stop talking about it–to others. Check out our radio and print interviews, as well as learn some more about the authors of On The Rocks.
UPCOMING EVENTS FOR
ON THE ROCKS
You’re invited to meet me and co-author Maria Palmer at one of our many upcoming events.
What Makes McKees Rocks Special?
On The Rocks co-author
This week, we are jaggin’ around with Maria C. Palmer, daughter of Joe Constanzo, Jr., owner of the former Primadonna Restaurant. Maria, and co-author Ruthie Robbins, have chronicled the journey of Maria’s father, in a book entitled, “On the Rocks.” The book will be available later this year. More info on Fans of The Primadonna Restaurant, previously owned by… and www.MariaCPalmer.com.