Lara Searcy

 

Age and/or Generation: about to join the "thirty-somethings"

Current Job(s): Literacy Resource Specialist at Tahlequah Middle School

Former Job(s): HS English Teacher (9th & 10th grades); Adjunct Teacher at NSU (Learning Styles & Technology)

Education and/or Training: B.A. Secondary Education, English; M.Ed in Teaching, English; National Board Certified Teacher (AYA-ELA)

Greatest Professional Accomplishment: Becoming a NBCT! 

Areas of Expertise: English Education and Structure= Folder Organization! ;) However, I am quickly becoming an "expert" in the unknown transition of Oklahoma P.A.S.S. objectives to Common Core State Standards.

Hometown: Tulsa, OK

Family: I live in Tahlequah with my “high-school sweetheart,” Brian, my son, Blake (6months), and our 3 dogs- Daisy (a shepherd mix), Lily (a border collie mix), & Ivy (a shepherd mix). Brian works at NSU as an Academic Advisor and he is a great listener, speaker, and drinker of coffee. 

I have an older brother, Justin, who works in Oxford, England; a twin sister, Lesley, who lives in New Jersey and works with International/Abroad programs; and a younger stepbrother who is in HS in Tulsa. My parents both work for colleges– my mom and stepdad live in Kansas City, MO and my dad lives in Tulsa, OK. 

Hobbies: My hobbies include: reading (especially by my pool), writing, hiking, kayaking, and playing w/ my pups! My favorite books are Pride & Prejudice and To Kill a Mockingbird.

The Role of Mentors in Your Life: I am the cliche of "it takes a village to raise a [teacher]" because there are many teachers who have shaped my own journey to the podium. To be a teacher is to instill hope, passion, perseverance, patience, and a love for learning in others. These are the attributes my own teachers have taught me which is why I am a teacher today. 

My journey to the podium began with my second grade teacher, Mrs. Pat Leader. She gave me the gift of hope by turning my "make-believe" classroom into a reality. I was never the kid who played with barbies or toys, I played school. I wanted paper, markers, and a chalkboard for Christmas. I had a room full of highly educated stuffed animals. I had a working intercom, a name on my door, and chalk on my hands. Mrs. Leader recognized my love for learning early on and provided me with real worksheets and real "teacher" responsibilities to enhance my experience. She trusted me with the task of writing the D.O.L. (grammar) lesson on the board every day before school for the rest of my elementary career. This instilled in me the value of hope... that one day I would become a real teacher and I would have a real classroom. 

In middle school, Mrs. Janet Thomas showed me how to have passion when you teach. She was passionate about history and making it applicable and relevant to her students. She dressed up for the time period, created reenactment lessons, and again acknowledged the teacher within me by giving me responsibilities as her student aide. She instilled within me the attribute of passion and showed me how to really love what you teach. 

My teaching journey continued in high school when I had the fortune to befriend a dynamic pair of teachers, Ms. Krista Baxter (now Waldron) and Mr. John Waldron. They both taught me the lesson of perseverance, by challenging me as a thinker, as a writer, as a reader, and still today as an educator. I am proud to now call them my friends and to share this task of "education" with them. 

In college, as I began the true process of becoming a teacher, I was blessed to take my Secondary English Methods class with Ms. Lori Walker which has forever shaped my path to the podium and where I am today. The true lesson she taught me is of patience, that those people who you meet early in life can indeed change your life. Ms. Walker has been my mentor teacher not just officially as I interned and began my teaching career in her school, but as a classmate during our Masters, as an encourager as I pursued National Board Certification, and as a reference for my future career endeavors. Ms. Walker is the epitome of a storyteller as she has lived a life of lessons. Due to this, she teaches by example and has shown me that truly caring for your students and listening to their stories is the greatest teaching method of all. 

I am also grateful for the mentorship of Kim Meigs as she has been the biggest advocate and encourager of my professional development. As my mentor teacher during my first year of teaching and now as one of my dearest friends, she has taught me the power of friendship and of being a voice in education. Through her recommendations and belief in my success, I have been given numerous professional experiences that are molding me into a more well-rounded and better educated woman. She is the strongest person I know and her life story is one of triumph, healing, and redemption. I am just as proud of her as she is of me!

Finally, I am continuing my relationship with two of my favorite college teachers/mentors through this Mentoring program, Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford and Dr. Renee Cambiano. Both of these strong women educators have invested in my life and in my career which has given me the support I have needed to be a successful educator. They have spoken words of encouragement, given experiential advice, provided opportunities for leadership, and have modeled to me that showing that you believe in your students and will partner with them is a key to success. I am fortunate to stay in contact with them and to continue learning from them. I know that my journey to the podium would not have been as prosperous without their direct guidance and influence. I am grateful for the interest they have taken in me and in my own students. Teaching truly becomes a "discipleship" process.

All of my teachers have taught me the lesson of being a life-long, perpetual learner. As I attended Mrs. Leader's retirement party- the same year I started my own teaching career- as I get ready to say "goodbye" to Ms. Walker for her retirement, and as I become the "mentor" with my own mentors, Amy and Renee, I see so clearly the full circle effect teachers have on their students. Teaching is the ultimate "pay it forward" career, but it is also a "thankless" job. So it's true, the students really do become the teachers and now that I am a teacher, I am grateful for the opportunity to say "thank you" and to hopefully return the favor... to share the hope, passion, perseverance, patience, and love for learning that others have shared with me. "I am a teacher because THEY were..."

My Masters "Stand & Deliver" with my College Mentors!

Favorite Quotations: 

"I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit." (-John Steinbeck)

"When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young. (-Maya Angelou)

"Teachers never die. They live in your memory forever. They were there when you arrived; they were there when you left... like fixtures. Once in awhile, they taught you something-- but not that often. And, you never really knew them; any more than they knew you. Still, for awhile, you believed in them. And, if you were lucky, maybe there was one that believed in you..." (-The Wonder Years)

"I go to the woods- to feel good. I go to the river- to let my mind run. I go to the mountains- to gain perspective. I go the fields- to open up. I look to the lake- to reflect. I look to the skies- to imagine. I travel highways- to go somewhere new. I go to the woods..." (-Patchouli)

"The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated." (-Mahatma Gandhi)

"...the journey is the destination..."