On Bruce Ballard’s (Ed.D. ’94) bucket list, you’ll find a myriad of accomplishments: traveling to over 25 countries, competing in the 2018 Gay Games (earning the silver and bronze medals), earning his degree in Applied Linguistics from Teachers College, and serving as a Peace Corps volunteer, to name a few.

In 2019, Ballard’s contributions were celebrated when he was awarded TC’s Distinguished Alumni Award, recognizing not only his profound impact on language-learning education but also for his “mindful and courageous approach” in the face of challenge. Ballard is currently living with Parkinson's Disease (PD), which affects over 90,000 individuals each year. 

“My time at Teachers College was nothing short of transformative,” shares Ballard. “Receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award felt like a full-circle moment—being recognized for pursuing my passion while living in resilience with Parkinson’s Disease.”

The Catalyst

Ballard’s story builds momentum in 1975 in South Korea, where he served in the Peace Corps for three years. His role was twofold: to train existing middle school English teachers to improve their teaching skills and facilitate workshops with them to help them improve how they spoke and wrote the English language. 

“I extended my service for a third year because I truly loved teaching,” Ballard shares. “It was then that my passion for English as a Second Language (ESL) really exploded.” During his first two years in South Korea, Ballard worked in a middle school in Weon Ju, a small city east of Seoul, where he co-taught English to students and held weekly workshops. In his third year, Ballard taught at a teacher-training university in Jeon Ju, a larger city south of Seoul. “It was a city known for its culture that gave me an even deeper understanding of the communities I was working with.”

Upon returning to the States, Ballard went on to receive his doctoral degree from TC’s Applied Linguistics program, where he simultaneously taught courses as a graduate assistant. “It was the perfect time to teach these specialized courses, as TC was leading in the language-learning field. I felt very much at home,” Ballard recalls. 

His unique teaching approach stemmed from the pedagogy he learned in Korea, “The Subordination of Teaching to Learning,” developed by Caleb Gattegno, an approach that proved effective in helping students read and write in their native language or learn a new one. Two specific techniques that Ballard particularly favored were "The Silent Way," where the teacher maintains silence and uses gestures and materials to facilitate language acquisition, and "Words in Color,” which employs color-coded resources to highlight pronunciation, reading and writing.

“Gattegno’s pedagogy had a profound impact on my teaching,” Ballard notes. “His methods encouraged students to discover and actually solve language learning obstacles in the classroom, rather than just passively receiving the materials.”

A New Chapter

In 2012, Ballard began teaching at Bronx Charter Schools for Better Learning, where he continued using unique methodologies to teach language learning and writing skills to pre-K-5th graders in underserved communities. That same year, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

“At one point, we had a waiting list of over 2,000 students who wanted to join our schools,” he shares. “We were continuously out-performing our district, New York City and New York State, in annual standardized testing. I taught for about six years before I told anyone about my diagnosis. I was determined to continue to teach for as long as I possibly could.” 

And he did just that. Day to day, Ballard co-taught reading and writing lessons or worked with student groups alongside a new teacher. He recalls one of his favorite classroom memories, the annual Korean poetry contests he hosted for his students. “Afterward, we would head Downtown to 32nd Street to learn more about Korean culture and enjoy Korean food. It was moments like those that made me want to teach forever—watching my students appreciate a culture I held so closely to heart.”

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(Pictured: Ballard continued to compete in long-distance, open-water swim races until he was 65. Photo courtesy of Ballard.)

(Pictured: Ballard (kneeling second from left, second row) and fellow Peace Corps volunteers at the Peace Corps training center in South Korea in 1975. Photo courtesy of Ballard.)

(Pictured: Ballard earned second and third place medals for the 2018 International Gay Games in Paris.)

(Pictured: Ballard preparing for his one mile swim race across the Hudson River. Photo courtesy of Ballard.)

Outside the classroom, Ballard remained engaged in the communities where his work originated. He continued to travel the world, teaching writing courses to investment bankers, Fortune 500 companies and research analysts throughout Asia. He was later honored  by the Korean Ministry of Education (MOE) for his efforts in promoting Korean language and culture in the United States.

Today, Ballard is the creator of “Parking-Suns,” — a blog that he created to detail his journey in navigating Parkinson’s Disease — recognized as one of the Top 60 Parkinson’s Blogs of 2025. “It’s a space for those with PD to connect, share resources and feel a sense of community,” he explains. “I want others to know that while PD is part of life, it doesn’t define it.”

The TC alum is also an author and avid fiction writer. In 2024, he published his first book, Invitations, a compilation of poetry detailing challenges in the face of Parkinson’s disease and short, fictional stories

Like many great stories, Ballard’s concludes by doing what he loves most: teaching and traveling. “I’m very fortunate to have been able to do what I love, while continuing to fight PD,” Ballard shares. “My experiences at Teachers College and working in the education sector have provided me with invaluable lessons I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. And for that, I feel lucky.”

With this incurable disease, I find I have the upper hand, and that my mind, While losing dopamine, still works fine.”

— Jacqueline Teschon