Skip to the content of the web site.

Ms. Judi Jewinski (1975 BA, MA 1977)

     As a student at Waterloo, Judi Jewinski (BA 1975, MA 1977) didn't mind taking a few risks. She pursued her bachelor’s and master's degrees in English and selected her courses to satisfy her interest in writing and grammar. Her MA was unconventional because she was able to take language related courses long before the creation of the RPW program and because it was in an area that was as yet unproven in terms of the job market.

     As an undergraduate, Judi applied her love of language to the serious study of English grammar. In Fall 1971, Judi took ENGL 240R (The Use and Abuse of English) at Renison with Professor Harry Tuyn, a specialist in language teaching. She enjoyed his class because he challenged students to parse sentences and eliminate deadwood.

Ms Judi Jewinski     Professor Tuyn also taught ESL conversation classes for the Dean of Arts. At the time there were only enough students on campus to make up one class! After inviting Judi to teach one idiom class per week of the course, Professor Tuyn prepared the lesson plans and mentored her as a teacher. Only a third-year student at the time, Judi found her calling: she loved not only teaching but learning about teaching . She now applies that knowledge to teaching two of the courses she took at Renison in the ‘70s: ENGL 376R/377R (Applied English Grammar I/II).

     One of Judi’s favourite memories is that of a 1975 debate pitting students against professors. As the only female debater, Judi felt rather satisfied with her performance, despite the student team’s loss, because she had been up against Professor Jack Gray, a formidable opponent. She was pleased, that is, until Professor Rota Lister, the supervisor of her honours essay, pointed out to her that she’d used he and his  as generic pronouns throughout her argument. From that moment on, Judi began consciously to monitor her own utterances and keep careful track of people’s language usage—another bonus for her career.

     After graduation, Judi had planned to work for the federal government. However, two events changed her mind. First, she met her future husband, Ed, a TA in ENGL 208A, Fantasy Literature. Second, Professor Gordon Slethaug asked her if she had ever thought of attending grad school. (She hadn’t.) Judi decided to take a risk she has never regretted: ”Turning down the Ottawa job was hard, but grad school was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

     Judi remembers being part of the first offering of English 109 in the fall term of 1974. Professor Ken Ledbetter taught the course and had offered her a teaching assistantship for the course. Judi recalls that Dr. Ledbetter ”lectured with  panache“ and that the students “loved his unconventional approach.”

     Judi's attention to grammatical details sometimes caused her to overemphasize prescriptive rules. Typing a paper for her fiancé one night, she noticed a split infinitive in a sentence. Ed said that he wanted the sentence to be left as is, but Judi insisted that the error be corrected. Eventually, they compromised by leaving the split infinitive and adding a footnote clarifying it as a stylistic choice. When Professor Ledbetter returned the marked essay, he had written “pedant” in green magic marker on the page containing the footnote. Another lesson for Judi.

     In 1979, Judi established the regional affiliate of TESL Ontario, a professional federation of English as a Second Language teachers of all levels. There were 25 original members (the minimum number allowed). Now, there are over 150 in the Waterloo-Wellington area. Judi’s original ESL course, taught with Harry Tuyn, has blossomed into 7 different credit courses for undergraduate and graduate students alike. Judi herself is the director of UW’s English Language Institute at Renison University College with eleven full-time and fourteen part-time staff. She is proud that the English Language Institute has grown from only four students taking classes in 1994 through to today, where there are so many students enrolled that there are no empty classrooms at Renison in August.

     Judi shares her love for language with her students in the ESL classes at Renison, including ENGL/ESL 129R, an academic writing course for non-native English speakers, offered on campus and online. She has also managed the Writing Clinic, taught as a sessional at both UW and Laurier, and from 1986 to 2008, been a partner in WordsWork Associates, a company offering editing and writing services to the KW business community.

     Currently, Judi is the Administrative Dean at Renison, taking care of academic, student, and course management while still teaching and acting as ELI Director of the English Language Institute. Among her other accomplishments, Judi has authored and co-authored a number of books about writing and grammar. Retirement is likely less than ten years away!