Towards the end of my senior year of college, I started applying at various schools in the valley. I applied to public schools, but I knew my heart wasn't in it and spent more of my effort looking at alternative schools in the area. I applied to Community High School, which would be opening in the fall and my resume was sent down to the lower school, and I recieved a call from the director, Laurie B. I went in for an interview and realized that Laurie had been one of my teachers when I was in fourth and fifth grade at the PLATO program at Raleigh Court Elementary.
I was fresh out of college and while I had experience in education, most of it was with high school students, where I had planned on teaching English. Laurie, however, gave me a chance and I ended up teaching a mix of third and fourth grades at Community School. Laurie was an amazing mentor; she was there for advice and suggestions, as a sounding board when I had ideas that I thought were maybe too crazy. She helped to give me the confidence to try new things and to know that even if they didn't work out, that I could try something else. She encouraged me to take chances and as a first year teacher, it meant so much to me to have a boss who trusted me. Part of the reason I know today that I am a good teacher is because of her support and wisdom. Laurie, thank you. Your guidance got me through my first years of teaching and built the foundation for what has come since, and if I can offer only half of what you gave to me to someone else, I will have done well.
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