Veteran Teacher Laura Geigner Shares 35 Years of Educational Wisdom: Insights for Inspiring Educators

I am thrilled to share Laura Geigner’s “earned wisdom" this week. I’ve known Laura for my entire education career (26 years). She is the best teaching teammate anyone could ask for. I’ve learned so much from her words and example. Every teacher deserves good mentors and teammates. With Laura, I hit the jackpot.

Every educator has a story and something to share with other teachers. Collaboration is one of the best forms of professional development. There’s a great deal to learn from her responses below.

Tell us a little about yourself, including your experience in education and anything else you’d like to share.

I am starting my fourth year of retirement after teaching for 35 years, the bulk of which I spent as an 8th-grade math and social studies teacher and a teammate to our very own Jeremy Jorgensen. What a joy. I  just hit my “halfway mark” in Wisconsin - I spent the first 32 years of my life in Illinois and just celebrated 32 years living in Wisconsin. I grew up on the south side of Chicago and attended public schools during the 1960s and 70s.  Growing up in a large urban area has allowed me to appreciate and not take for granted the beauty and tranquility of the northwoods of Wisconsin. It also gave me the foundation necessary to be an independent and strong-willed female - how else could a Bears fan survive in the land of the Packers?

What have you learned from a colleague that has made you a better teacher?

I have learned the following from many master teachers who often did not realize they were “schooling” both their peers and their students at the same time: You can’t control everything - trying to do so just takes away valuable time that could be better focused elsewhere. Don’t be a friend to your students but be an enthusiastic advocate. It’s okay to make mistakes as long as you admit you were wrong - it helps children realize that we’re all human and nobody is perfect. Sometimes you have to put the curriculum lesson aside when you get an opportunity to teach a lesson about real life, which will stick with them much longer than the Pythagorean Theorem will! Give students what they need, not what you think they need. The more that you allow students academic choices for how to evidence their learning, the more invested they will be in doing so. Draw your line in the sand but be willing to let the tides move it depending upon the circumstances.

What “earned wisdom” do you have that other teachers can benefit from?

I believe that the very best teachers are the full package - not just someone who excels in the classroom but someone who furthers the cause of education by understanding the synergy between our society and the future of the children they stand in front of each day. It is not enough - even if you are giving it your all when you are there - to simply teach and go home. Start small and scaffold your efforts to build up both your profession and your students’ opportunities. Seek out and share best practices with educators in your own building. Showcase the great things that are happening in your classroom and school every chance you have. Endorse union membership because it really is true that rising tides lift all boats. Make an effort to understand how the policies and allocation of funds at all levels of government affect your school’s ability to achieve excellence, and then defend those policies and the politicians who espouse them. Does this all sound too political or time consuming? Maybe. But I believe the future of our children depends upon those who will continue to advocate for a sustaining and rigorous public education system that has the necessary funds and curricular freedoms to turn out well informed and independent citizens. . . and adults comfortable and confident in their own skin!

On a lighter note - use humor whenever you can, and realize that most children really do feel safer and more ready to learn when they have well-communicated boundaries and be a learning role model. If you are excited and engaged by what you are teaching, that is infectious for your audience. Communicate clearly and often with parents, whether or not they seem receptive - and always start out with a genuine compliment about something their child is doing well. And lastly -  hey, sit up, this one’s important - never, ever give up on a kid. Your love and grit will eventually break through the silence, the eye rolls and the trips to the counselor complaining about you. They need you!

What personal or professional development book (or both) would you recommend?

Teaching With Love and Logic by Jim Fay and David Funk  Why? This book gave me techniques for leading students to be more self-disciplined and helping them work out if-then scenarios based on their choices and the resulting consequences. This leads to more problem solving on their end instead of punishments from an outside source and a more intrinsic values system. In turn, this hopefully will equip them with more confidence and strategies to overcome challenges that arise later in life. It also reminded me that the behavior should always be the focus, not the student per se.

What is your favorite song on your morning commute to work? (or in general, if you’re retired)

Such a Night ( versions by Elvis Takes 2,3 and 4, 1960 and Michael Buble, 2019 )

Feel free to add anything else that you think would be helpful to educators.

THANK YOU for continuing to fight the good fight. And it truly is a good and essential fight. We need public education to continue to serve as the “great equalizer” in society. Don’t ever underestimate the significance of the work you do each and every day. Teachers rarely grasp the impact they have on their students but it is evident in every adult who has a fulfilling career, dedicates their life to public service, raises a healthy and strong family or finds joy in learning a new skill later in life. Your contributions, your influence, your success are hiding in plain sight!

Maybe you’re interested in sharing some of your “earned wisdom.” If so, let’s get in touch. I look forward to sharing your story with the Why Edify community.

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