The AfterCLASS Teacher Feature
Meet Lauren Jewett
How long have you been a teacher?
I am in my 12th year of teaching!
Where have you taught and where do you currently teach?
I have spent my entire teaching career in Louisiana, serving as a special education teacher in the elementary grades. I spent my first few years teaching in St. John the Baptist Parish School District and a charter school in Gentilly. I am in my 9th year as a special education teacher/case manager at KIPP Morial Primary. I currently teach 3rd and 4th grade math.
Why did you choose teaching?
I have always loved helping others and supporting them in reaching goals. I did not originally intend to enter the teaching profession. All through middle school, high school, and college, I wanted to go to law school to study law and become a lawyer, particularly in the area of disability rights. However, I reconsidered those plans in my last year of college and worked on my alternative certification to become a special education teacher. I realized I could still blend my passions for advocacy, helping others, and understanding and applying the law as a special education teacher.
What piece of advice would you give to new teachers?
My favorite piece of advice to new teachers comes from Jennifer Gonzalez, a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) who started Cult of Pedagogy, an online learning community and website that posts educational content about teaching. One of her articles is “Find Your Marigold: The One Essential Rule for New Teachers” The basic advice is that we should surround ourselves with supportive and nurturing people. The concept of the marigold effect or companion planting in gardening means we plant marigolds next to other crops and plants because they help those other plants grow better. In school settings, mentors and supportive teachers are our marigolds because they help us blossom and improve. Throughout my career, I have been grateful to have strong mentorship and I attribute so much of my sustainability as a teacher to having those mentor relationships, both when first starting as a teacher and also when I started at new schools or took on new life challenges. Find yourself a mentor!
What's a funny or inspiring anecdote you have from teaching?
During first year of teacher appreciation week in May 2009, many of my first grade students brought me so many great and interesting gifts- jelly beans, cheesecake, pens, flowers, etc. One day, one of my students brought me a gift in a black plastic bag that I couldn’t see through. When he handed me the bag, I noticed that the bag felt very warm. I looked inside the bag and it was a bag of boiled crawfish! Since I was new to Louisiana and had never experienced a crawfish season, I was not even sure how to eat the crawfish or what I could do with it. Luckily, my co-teacher and my kids taught me all about it and I have enjoyed crawfish ever since!
What are you reading right now?
I tend to do a lot of my personal reads during school and summer breaks and then read more of my professional reads during the school year. The professional book that I have been reading is a 2019 book from National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) called Humanizing Disability in Mathematics Education: Forging New Paths by Paulo Tan, Alexis Padilla, Erica N. Mason, and James Sheldon.
How do you describe your teaching style?
I would describe my teaching style as advocacy-based and empathy-based. I believe in modeling my own advocacy as a teacher so that my students can also learn how to advocate for their needs as learners and as humans. I also believe in and live by a teaching approach that practices empathy and compassion.
Who inspires you?
My aunt Cheryl has been one of my main inspirations due to her energy and love for life. I have learned my sense of advocacy from her and my family. I am also greatly inspired by my students because they are creative, dynamic, and make me laugh. Every year, I learn how to adapt my own teaching practices to best address their specific strengths and needs. My students have been my biggest teachers.
Do you have any websites or social media recommendations for teachers?
I love Understood.org because it provides useful and practical resources for teachers, parents, and caregivers in supporting students who learn and think differently. Their articles are easily digestible for busy teachers and families. Additional websites and social media sites that I gather useful educational content from are:
Favorite food?
Peanut butter, chocolate, and fruit!
Favorite word?
I don’t necessarily have a favorite word, but I did try out picking a #OneWord for 2020. #OneWord is when you pick one word to anchor your thoughts and actions through the calendar year. This year, my word has been catalyst. I chose catalyst because catalysts spur and inspire changes or reactions in others, which is what I hope to do, especially when it comes to my work in education. I am appreciative of all the teacher networks and organizations I have had a chance to be part of and my hope is that others can discover their own potential through similar professional learning experiences.
Anything you'd like to share?
I believe teacher mental health is very important, especially now. Investing in yourself allows you to invest in others and to continue to invest in others for the long-haul.
