Julie Lauer

Tell us why you became a teacher

I’ve loved to solve a challenge ever since I was little. I was always bright, had straight A’s, and everyone wanted me to go on to become a doctor or engineer or something that allowed me to use my “brains” in my career. My heart, though, screamed that I needed to work with kids. “Be a pediatrician then!” was the message I kept getting. However, I knew that the only career that was going to fulfill me was becoming a teacher. It came as a shock to some, but made perfect sense to me.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I was at a back to school in-service two years ago, and there was a welcome video playing that was introducing all the new hires in the district. They all told some facts about themselves - one question was “what made you become a teacher?” I had honestly tuned out a bit, making a list of all the things needing done in my classroom, until I heard a former student’s name introduced, followed by her answer to that question: “Miss Morone, my 5th grade teacher”. Tears streamed down my face. Full ⭕️

What would you do with the $25,000?

Honestly, this money would be a huge benefit to my family, who 9/10 gets the short end of the stick for how much time I dedicate to this job instead of them. Teaching is great, but it’s demanding and doesn’t pay well, so we’ve had to put off a LOT of things needing done around our house just because it’s simply too hard to save for it. I’d love to be able to provide for them in a way that I’ve never gotten to and feel like we can finally check things we’ve needed done for 15 yrs off the list!