One woman's marathon journey to a perfect fit in the classroom

Vicky Krug was determined to become a teacher.

Her resolve only grew during nearly two decades she spent as a social worker, substance abuse therapist, substitute teacher and tutor earning multiple degrees and certifications along the way.

A brain injury she suffered when her car and a truck collided on Route 66 in Washington Township as she was driving to work the morning of March 8, 2003, was a detour. The accident left Krug in a coma and hospitalized for four months. It forced the marathon runner and triathlete to focus on learning anew as she struggled to master walking, talking and reading during a rehabilitation that spanned several years.

By 2007, Krug was ready to take on a full-time teaching post at Westmoreland County Community College.

Today, she teaches developmental education, college literacy, abnormal psychology, general psychology and interpersonal communications.

“I think I teach across more disciplines than just about anyone,” Krug said, laughing as she reeled off her class schedule.

This month, Westmoreland County Community College officials honored the 53-year-old Hempfield woman with the school’s annual Excellence in Teaching Award.

Faculty and students nominate candidates for the award that recognizes classroom excellence, instructional innovation, contributions to the community and leadership within the institution.

Others recognized Krug’s gifts years earlier.

She is featured in a 2014 documentary film, “Grey Matters: Teaching The Way The Brain Learns.” It explores a neuroscience-based approach to teaching pioneered at Johns Hopkins University.

Krug, who earned a graduate certificate in mind, brain and teaching from the school in 2012, practices brain learning every day in the classroom, said Mariale Hardiman, vice dean of academic affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Education and co-founder of the university’s neuro-education initiative .

Part of it is her approach to teaching. Hardiman said her former student is a natural in the classroom. But part of it was the way Krug grasped new methods to reach students and ran with them.

“Vicky was my student twice in that program,” Hardiman said. “It was the first time we offered it entirely online. I was concerned that students would feel isolated. But Vicky is a connector. She brought people in the cohort and her team together. Her enthusiasm for the content was really amazing. She shows that kind of spirit everywhere. She’s collaborated with me on several other projects since then.”

Back at Westmoreland, where Krug has been nominated for the top teaching award several times, judges said she stood out for the glowing appraisals her students submitted.

“In her classroom, students learn not only about the course material, but about life as well,” one student wrote.

“She genuinely cares about her students and their wellness,” another student said.

Comments like that are the real rewards for teaching, Krug said.

“WCCC is small enough that I get to know my students. Students have entrusted me with their lives, their stories, their futures. How many people get to say that? It certainly is a blessing to do that and to hear them say I’ve made a difference in their lives,” Krug said.

Kristy Bishop, vice president for academic affairs at Westmoreland, said it’s apparent why students love Krug’s classes.

Krug’s teaching skills sparkled during a recent abnormal psychology class when she shared the story of her brain injury, pulled out her juggling balls and used her newfound skill to demonstrate how the brain can generate new neural pathways.

Students in the class pitched in with a spirited give and take, as their teacher grinned.

“Her absolute dedication to the learning process is obvious and second-to-none,” Bishop said.

Krug said her diverse background, including the accident that sidetracked her, has been a plus in the classroom.

“The brain injury was horrific, but it woke me up to life. I stopped sleepwalking through life,” Krug said.

It also pointed her to Johns Hopkins University and Hardiman. She credits the professor with creating a program that helped her learn to learn again.

“I’m still close to her. She is amazing,” Krug said.

At the community college — where the student body spans first-generation students, new high school graduates, adult learners and part-time students seeking a path — many see Krug as a role model who has successfully adapted to and thrived in a variety of environments.

Krug’s graduate certificate in mind, brain and teaching is just the most recent credential in a lengthy resume she built along the way to her post at Westmoreland.

She earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Seton Hill University and a master’s degree in education from California University of Pennsylvania. She took a graduate course in social work at the University of Pittsburgh and earned reading specialist certification there. Krug has also taken classes at Boston University and Chatham University.

Although many have shied away from teaching in recent years, daunted by the profession’s ups and downs, Krug advises her students to stay the course if that is where they believe they belong.

“I advise them that they have to be willing to move and get more than one credential. Add one in reading or special education. And I tell them it’s never too late. I was about 40 when I started here,” she said.

Although her days as a marathoner are long in the past, the discipline that got her across the finish line and into the classroom remain part of her life. Krug said she tries to stay active.

“I played volleyball for two hours last night, and I’ve decided this is the year I get back into running,” she said. “Somehow, I’m going to do it.”