The Department of Child and Family Studies (CFS) is proud to congratulate Lauren Daudelin, a recent graduate of the Prek-3 Teacher Licensure Program on winning the Shelby County Schools Why Teach? Contest. As a long-time aspiring teacher, Daudelin pulls on her own early educational experiences to shape her teaching philosophy. In her essay she writes, “when I became interested in being an educator, I already had an idea of what I wanted to incorporate into my classroom. I wanted to become a teacher where children’s strengths and interests were accepted and encouraged, rather than shut down or ignored.” Her goal is to “create an environment where children [are] collaborative learners and engaged in active, multi-modal learning.”
Throughout her time in the UTK CFS Prek-3 Teacher Licensure program, Daudelin loved having “the opportunity to learn from and observe many different teachers” because it gave her the chance to “view various teaching styles.” Moving forward, her dream job would be a First Grade Teacher at a Title I school in Nashville or Memphis. When not in the classroom, Daudelin loves to be active outside by walking and hiking in nice weather. She also enjoys going to trivia with friends. With such a bright future ahead, we are excited to see where she ends up!