Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1133200
X Member Spotlight 27 Getting to Know Lori Eggleston 1. Name/Preferred Name? Lori Eggleston. 2. Current role in district/college/ institution? How long have you held this position? I have been an English teacher in R awlins for four years at the high school and twelve years in the district. 3. Current role in WEA? Southwest Region President. 4. How did you get to where you are today/ history? I went into teaching because of Jack Corson. Jack was the agriculture teacher in Laramie and he literally saved me in school. He showed me what it meant to be passionate about a subject and really was my inspiration in going into education. I hated school and was not a good student because of that attitude. He knew I wanted to be in his class, and he set some boundaries for my grades and helped me to see the value in education. He supported me all through high school in various situations and really helped me to understand the value of building relationships with students. He was not only a teacher, but also an advisor, friend, father fi gure, and played many roles for many students. 5. Greatest joy in current position/What are we in public education getting correct? My greatest joy in education is the building of relationships. I love getting to know kids and building rapport with them. I think that we help kids become better people . Our scores continue to climb, and we have quality teachers in education in Wyoming. 6. Greatest frustration in current position/What are we in public education doing wrong? Family issues that prevent learning, poverty, and lack of parent involvement are some of my greatest frustrations in education. How do we teach kids when their emotional needs are not being me or they are hungry? How do we help students to be successful when their parents won 't help them? Those are the continuing issues that we struggle with here. I don't think that it's what we [public education] are doing wrong; Societally, we have lost track of what is important, and it shows in the behavior and attitudes of our students. 7. Unique skills? What do you bring to the table that allows you to be successful? I think that I bring a willingness to listen and be fl e xible, and a willingness to look outside of the box for solutions. 8. What advice would you give yourself in your fi rst year of teaching? Be nice to yourself. Give yourself grace. Understand that you are going to make mistakes and it's okay. 9. Was there a teacher/mentor who had a great infl uence on you? And if yes, what did you learn from them? Jack Corson. He taught me to be committed and believe in myself. 10. How would you like your students to remember you? I would like them to remember that I loved them, that I wanted the best for them and that my goal was always to be the best professional—and person—that I could be . Lori Eggleston, Southwest Region President