My Journey

After finishing college in Idaho with a B.A. in Elementary Education I found that I was one of MANY eager graduates looking for a teaching job in a city where actually getting one felt as likely as winning the lottery! There just weren’t enough positions available. Although I did not get that classroom I had hoped for right out of the gate, I did get lucky. Instead, I got a position at an elementary school as a Title I Tutor where I worked with students in small groups. This gave me the opportunity very early on in my career to gain valuable knowledge from the veteran teachers that I was teamed with. As a newbie, to the field, I put as many tools as possible I could get a hold of into my toolbox.

After two years working as a tutor, my husband landed a job that moved us to Northeastern Nevada, and I finally got the classroom I had dreamed of! My first two years of teaching I was assigned a combination 5th/6th grade classroom. Talk about needing to get my systems in order! However, teaching was my passion, and I was eager to go to work every day. I put those tools to work that I had gained during my time as a tutor and found some others that worked for me. I ended up teaching grades ranging from 3rd to 6th and I absolutely LOVED it!

While I was teaching, I acquired my M.A. in Educational Leadership with the thought of possibly becoming an administrator down the road. Well, I took that turn after my sixth year of teaching and I became an elementary school administrator. As an administrator I loved being a part of the “big picture” of students’ education. I truly enjoyed supporting a community of teachers and learners. With having this new lens of an administrator, I was not only able to support teachers in improving their own practices, but I also got to see some more amazing things happening in other classrooms. You guessed it…more tools were added to my toolbox!

However, during my 5th year as a school leader, I felt that I needed a change. For all of those years I was missing something…I was desperately missing the classroom. I missed working with students in the capacity of a teacher. I had a lot of time to think about why I got into education in the first place and reflect on what I truly wanted to do. I knew where my roots were and with that, I decided to go back to what I LOVE…teaching. Since being back in the classroom, I have also had some amazing opportunities to mentor others, including aspiring new teachers.

As mentioned earlier, my time in administration provided a broad perspective on education. The various experiences I've accumulated fueled a desire to assist more teachers and students in an area where I believed I could make a meaningful impact…classroom management. LaRocque Star Learning sprouted from a simple desire—to lend a hand to more teachers in discovering the classroom management systems that just click, ultimately leading to greater success in the classroom and a happier life.