New first grade teacher to start at Highland Park school

Highland Park Early Primary School  has a new first grade teacher from Washington.

"I miss working with children," Lauren Todd said. "The COVID pandemic has been crazy, not being able to work one-on-one with kids, and I'm really hoping that the school board decides we can come back and work with kids, but if it's online then it'll be online too."

She grew up in Spokane, Washington, she said, and moved around a little until she met her husband, and they moved from Washington to Casper, Wyoming, then to Montana.

She is excited to be in Montana, she said.

She attended Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington, where she received her bachelor's degree in elementary education and received her master's degree in curriculum and instruction from California State University, Northridge, in Los Angeles, California.

Prior to teaching in Havre, she taught preschool for at least five years and some special education in those years, she said.

She said she taught in Dillon and worked as a substitute and a paraprofessional for the past two years.

When the COVID pandemic first hit Montana in March and the school went into remote learning, at Highland Park, first grade used the program Seesaw for assignments and lectures.

She said she is familiarizing herself with that program and she looks forward to planning with her fellow first grade teachers.

She is familiar with technology, she said, adding that she did a little bit of online teaching last year, so she's familiar with the process.

"I am very excited about building relationships with my students and their families, as well as focusing on their social emotional well-being," Todd said.

"I'm excited to learn more about the community of Havre," she added. "I'm just excited to teach kids - my passion. I love education and I love seeing those 'ah-ha' moments and helping a child be a good human, how to read, how to make good choices."