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December 2021: ABC10's Teacher of the Month is Laura Anderson

Laura teaches 2nd grade at Elliott Ranch Elementary School.

ELK GROVE, Calif. — Laura Anderson teaches 2nd grade at Elliott Ranch Elementary School in Elk Grove. ABC10 asked Laura a few questions about her career in teaching. This is what she had to say:

How long have you been teaching?

7 years, all at Elliott Ranch.

Who was your favorite teacher growing up?

Miss Mifsud was one of my 3rd grade teachers and also my mentor teacher when I began teaching. I couldn’t tell you one academic thing I learned in 3rd grade, but I remember wanting to be at school and absolutely loving being in her class. Having her be my mentor teacher made it all come full circle for me and she is still the teacher I look up to today.

What’s your favorite student success story?

I think the amazing thing about teaching primary is that there are so many student successes big and small every single day. I taught 1st grade for 5 years and a lot of kids start the year not reading yet and by the end they are full-on readers! Watching the growth over the course of one school year, not just in skill, but in confidence, is truly amazing.

What advice do you have for the future teachers of America?

Have grace for yourself, your students, the families you work with, and find a good work/life balance! It is so easy to get caught up in everything there is to do in your classroom and at your school. As teachers we can be so passionate about our students that we lose sight of our life outside of the classroom, and that is how burnout happens. Be sure to make time for yourself, your friends, and your family. Taking care of yourself outside of the classroom will make you a better teacher inside the classroom.

What advice do you have for parents?

Continue doing what you’re doing by supporting your child and their teacher! We are all on the same team and have the same goal: to have happy, healthy students and to do the best we can for them.

Congratulations again to ABC10's December 2021 Teacher of the Month, Laura Anderson!

Teacher of the Month/Teacher of the Year is ABC10’s way of honoring exemplary teachers in our community and say ‘thank you’ for their hard work. ABC10 viewers, students, principals, parents, family and friends nominate educators they feel deserve this title. Each month Sac State selects a teacher out of this pool of nominees to be honored as ‘Teacher of the Month’, receiving a $1,000 dollar check from SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, a profile story on ABC10 and ABC10.com, and other prizes! Plus, all nominees are put in the running for Esquire IMAX and ABC10’s ‘Teacher of the Year’ winning an additional $5,000 dollars courtesy of SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union. The ‘Teacher of the Year’ ceremony is held every spring.

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