Laurie Hanson’s students are prone to crying if they have to miss class. That’s an indication of the close bond this preschool teacher develops with kids.
Over the years, counting siblings and their children, Hanson has taught as many as 15 children from one family. While parents and grandparents are often quick to expound on her effective teaching, Hanson says the skills “have always been there.”
“Kids learn so much in preschool,” Hanson says. “It serves for the rest of their lives as a foundation for education. I love to play a part in that. And it feels great to get down on the floor with them, read, play games or just talk. I’ve found that kids respond well when you meet them at their level.”
Hanson’s first teaching experience started when she was 14 and taught Sunday School at her home church in Wakonda, SD.
She began seeking a teaching degree at Yankton’s Mount Marty College but didn’t complete her studies right away. After marrying and starting her own family, a move to Colorado and the birth of twins kept her home for a period of time. As her children grew older, she went back to the classroom, determined to do whatever it took to get her degree.
“I wanted to teach so badly,” she says. “I tried an office job for a short time, but I knew that wasn’t where I belonged.”
One hallmark of Hanson’s teaching approach is her insistence on making students feel comfortable by being in their midst. She wouldn’t think of talking down to any of her students.
“You can’t sit on a chair in front of the classroom and separate yourself from the kids,” she says. “They need to know you care.
When I taught K-12 choir at Wakonda I wasn’t positive at first that the approach I take with preschoolers would work as well with older students. It did. By the time I left that position both I and the kids were crying. It was a very good experience.”
Because she’s been teaching for so many years, Hanson has seen cultural changes that impact her students. In most households, both parents work outside the home, which gives Hanson reason to believe that she needs to make every effort to make her students feel valuable and important.
“Even though parents work hard at nurturing their children, when they’re working 40 hours a week their time is limited. To me that means it’s more important than ever for me to help fill that gap,” Hanson says. “I can be one more adult in that child’s life that lets them know they’re cared for and loved.”
In addition to her students, Hanson makes an effort to connect with parents to let them know that she wants to give their children her very best every day.
“I rarely have a bad day, I just enjoy working with the kids so much,” Hanson says. “I feel like all the kids are my own, and that’s how I approach my job.”
Hanson does appear to have a gift for making others feel at ease in her presence. She also has the ability to deeply touch the students in her care.
“When I taught choir, we took part in music competitions.
When we got up on stage, I’d be standing with my back to the audience and I’d stick my tongue out to make the kids smile and relax,” Hanson says. “I also told them, when they were competing, to sing from their heart because that was where the best music came from. One of those students has commented that they never forgot those instructions.”
One of the moments Hanson will always remember is the compliment the principal of her hometown school gave her on her teaching skills. He made it clear that hiring a hometown teacher wasn’t always a wise move.
“He said hometown teachers were the hardest to hire and fire,” Hanson remembers. “He wasn’t certain I’d work out in the school, but when I left he told me I made it. I’m very proud of that.”
Even though every day brings reward to Hanson, she’s also found challenges in her work. She takes advantage of ongoing learning opportunities to ensure she has the best to offer students.
Although she was reluctant to embrace emerging technologies at first, she has also found the value of using new education tools.
“Smart boards seemed like a foolish idea to me at first,” she says. “One of my principals encouraged me to at least try a smart board and now I wouldn’t be without it. We’re one of the few preschools using the smart board. I still get excited about new education discoveries and am sometimes surprised at the simple changes that can make a big difference in a child’s learning. I also learn a lot from my students. Some of them are a whiz on the iPad.”
Although she has many years of teaching behind her, Hanson expects to continue teaching as long as she finds a need she can fill.
“I have so many friends who are wonderful teachers,” Hanson says. “I think we all realize that showing our students we care is what makes it all work. I firmly believe God gave me the gift to teach. My sisters are teachers, my grandmother was a teacher and I will teach as long as I possibly can. My fondest hope is that my students remember me for being a good teacher.”
