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Winter Park resident Mildred “Midge” Ruff recently turned 108.

At her party at the The Mayflower Retirement Community where she lives, Opera Orlando signer Gabriel Preisser sang happy birthday to her in Italian.

Then over cake and punch, residents were asked to come up with adjectives that described Ruff. Some of these included irreplaceable, inspirational and even: “One in a million. One in one hundred and eight.” 

Another word that describes Ruff? Teacher. 

The Education Desk spoke with her about her two decades as an elementary school teacher in the Midwest and the most important lesson she’s learned inside and outside of the classroom.

If you’d like to listen to the interview, click on the clip above. 

Education reporting on 90.7 News is supported by Helios Education Foundation.