CUSD 50 Staff Spotlight: Alyssa Lorenz, Special Education Teacher at Washington
"I grew up in Huntley. I attended school in District #158 and graduated from Huntley High School. I attended Eastern Illinois University and received my bachelors degree in Special Education."
"I was inspired to be an educator after seeing the impact that a very caring teacher had on my sister’s life. In elementary school, my sister had a harder time learning to read because she has dyslexia. She had a teacher that spent extra time helping her and encouraging her. She even volunteered her time during the summer to continue teaching my sister. Her support was invaluable in my sister’s educational journey. I hope that I can have a similar impact on my students and their families. I have been teaching for 8 years, and this is my fifth year teaching in Harvard."
"I love the connections that I have with my students. I enjoy getting to know each of their individual personalities. I love the silly things that my students say and do to make me laugh. It makes me so happy when I see them grow and demonstrate skills that they weren’t able to before."
"I love that so many families are involved in their children’s learning. It is great to see so many families attend parent nights or after school activities to see what their children have been learning at school. I also love my Washington team. My colleagues are always willing to collaborate with me. They are there to support me when things get busy or when we need to brainstorm solutions for a problem."
"I would say that it’s important to remember to have fun and to laugh. We can get so focused on all the big things we are doing that it weighs us down. I always feel better after joking with my team."