Laurie’s philosophy about teaching is simple. Every child can learn, every child is unique and we must meet them where they are at to take them to the next level because everything starts with us! She agrees with Madeline Hunter when she said, “Kids don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!”  We are not going to reach some kids academically until we first reach them on the human level. Sometimes the subject matter in our classrooms can’t compete with their life “drama”. The main ingredient missing in a lot of our classrooms today is connection. Laurie believes that research is clear. When students know you value them, they will work harder for you and challenge you less.

She also believes teachers don’t need any more theory and new, trendy programs with catchy names. Teachers need research-based, proven, practical, strategies and applications to start implementing immediately – without throwing anything out that is already working. Educators have the toughest job in America and are asked to engage in many different roles.

Students come into our classrooms and schools with different backgrounds and cultures and their cognitive abilities, assets, and experiences are just as wide-ranging.  Sometimes the only thing students have in common is their age! The “one size fits all” approach does not work anymore.

The biggest unchallenged assumption by many today (especially politicians) about education is that kids are coming to school socialized, willing, and ready to learn. As educators, we know this is not the case. Kids coming to our schools are just the opposite. Many students are learning behaviors from a myriad of influences. Self-regulation is the key for us and our students to both experience success.

We can only control what we can while students are in our care. Laurie is dedicated to helping educators be successful through motivation, inspiration, humor, and a common-sense approach to stress management. Most importantly, she leaves educators with as many proven, practical strategies as she can, mixed with her own personal experiences as a veteran educator.