Hi, there! My name is Lauren and I am looking forward to being your teacher. A little bit about me, I live in Salt Lake City, Utah where I earned my Bachelors and Masters degree in English and Creative Writing. When I’m not rafting or rock climbing, I adore teaching. I taught English at Utah State University for two years, tutored elementary school, middle school, and high school for four years, and taught preschool for one year. I love working with students of all ages. My classroom pedagogy is based on compassion and community. In my experience, students are eager to engage with materials when they know the classroom is a fun, safe community. To build a community, I take time to get to know every student and design lessons with their unique learning abilities in mind. I also teach with compassion. Compassion-based teaching means meeting students where they are at, emphasizing their strengths, and always leading with kindness. Bookclub classes are a wonderful opportunity for your child to grow their critical thinking skills while making friends with their peers and having a blast. If I were to recommend a book for your kid to read, I would recommend Warriors by Erin Hunter. This series of books follows the stories of several cats who leave their cozy lives indoors to embark on wild adventures. It’s a delightful read packed with tons of tension and magical world building. The best part… there are over forty books in the series, so if your kid gets hooked, they have plenty to look forward to!