My name is Laura R. Brown. I am married and I have 4 beautiful children. I have traveled to 40 of the United States as well as to Canada and Mexico. I have lived in 6 states in rural, urban, and suburban locations. I have worked in 7 schools, both public and private, and 2 Universities. Even though some might see me as a job hopper, I bring a wealth of knowledge about what works and what does not work in other schools and for a wide variety of students from diverse backgrounds. I also have multiple endorsements making me an excellent candidate for a school where flexibility is necessary from year to year as enrollment changes.
My education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Biola University. During my time at Biola I was a teaching assistant for Erick Roebuck’s COMM 100 class and a research assistant for Dr. Margaret Cavin – studying the rhetoric of peace. I was also copy editor for the 90th edition of the yearbook and a 2 year member of the Chorale. Two of my favorite courses at Biola were Persuasive Communication with Dr. Todd Lewis, and a 3 week intensive course on the writings and influence of C.S. Lewis.
After leaving Biola, my husband and I opted to move to his home state of Colorado where I began to pursue teaching as a full-time career. I looked to Colorado Christian University to assist me in the teacher licensure process, but quickly became discouraged. For example, I was advised to take the MACI track rather than the ATL track, but after graduating with a MA in Curriculum & Instruction I could not get a teaching job because I did not have CO licensure. Teaching in Colorado during the beginning of NCLB without state licensure proved to be quite challenging, but I managed to secure several part-time and 1 year contract positions which helped mold my beliefs and opinions of teaching and public speaking, as well as the ineffectiveness of new teacher mentoring programs. During this time I also created a Practicum entitled Pervasive Developmental Disorders, and a Teacher Work Sample entitled Persuasive Speaking.
After not finding continuing employment in the state of Colorado, my husband and I found a school in West Virginia where both of us could teach at the same school and he could continue coaching basketball. We did not adjust well to the new state or school and decided to leave shortly before the end of the first year. I had a job offer at Liberty University to work with the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence (CAFÉ) as they worked through the QRI process on their online courses. We jumped at the opportunity and moved down to Lynchburg, VA. If you know anything about Jerry Falwell, Liberty, or Lynchburg; this move was once again a major culture shock. I was not prepared for the amount of bureaucracy affecting every aspect of the school’s inner workings. I left after 3 months and began taking classes at Randolph and Lynchburg Colleges in Special Education while my husband coached women’s basketball at Randolph. I found that I really enjoyed learning about Special Education (Autism specifically) and the RTI process, but I was not prepared for the types of entry level jobs that were available to teachers with a specialization in Autism. After a complete turnover of coaching staff at Randolph, we were both stuck looking for new career paths.
I chose Texas State – San Marcos after an exhaustive search of graduate schools in the United States. I applied and was admitted to the M.Ed. program at Teachers College Columbia, but after doing more research I learned that I do not support several of their philosophies and programs. I prefer to attend a school that I can support and respect, as a whole.