Mrs. Bilyeu
What makes you a good leader at Lawrence Central

She likes to do things for others, and that is a very good trait for the bookstore, she says. “I think from a bookstore perspective,

I’m organized and friendly and like being helpful”. She takes a lot of pride in her work and likes to provide for the many students in the school.

What makes a good school

Ms.Bilyeu has been a part of the LC community for many years and has lots of goals for the upcoming year. “I think what makes a good school is we work well together, and staff and students are able to get along. We also run things smoothly and take pride in our school.” Mrs. Bilyeu has a long history of involvement at LC

What is your goal this year?

Ms Bilyeu wants to make a lot of money this year and help the school. “My goal this year is to have a smooth-running snack sale counter and get back organized”. She’s still getting in the groove for the year and is already starting off good.

Ms. Fleisig

Who do you look up to in life?

She looked up to former teachers, and they are the reason that she wanted to become a teacher. One teacher who stood out to her was Ms. Markowski, her music teacher.  “She saw something in me when a lot of others didn’t”. And in college, she also had great professors who were role models for her.

What makes you a great teacher

Ms Fleisig, a teacher who takes a lot of pride in her work, says, “I think what makes a great teacher is that I care a lot about the work and my students.” She is very dedicated and really takes pride in her work with everything she does and her students.

What makes LC a good school

LC has been a good place for her because of how they operate. “I think there’s a lot of freedom for students to try out a lot of different interests.” She likes the athletics and academics that the school provides, “it’s a very welcoming and positive environment.” 

Ms. Lee              

What was your teaching journey like?

Although Sequoia Lee did not initially study to be a teacher, she always had a desire to teach and educate. “It’s a blessing, I love being a teacher. I don’t want another job outside of being a teacher”. It was a transition from her initial plans of entering the medical field, but it was worth it.

What’s your teaching philosophy?

Lee discusses the importance of simplifying issues for students so they can better understand. “You have to meet the students where they are…you failing math doesn’t mean you’re going to fail at life”. She is a strong believer in not allowing her students to accept mediocrity, but also not burning them out.

 What are some of your favorite elements of LC?

She loves the influence of LC on her career and how much it’s taught her. “I love the standard…everything I’ve done here so far has been so purposeful”. Intentional and collaborative work has become a huge focus in Lee’s teaching since working at LC. 

Ms. Getz

What inspired you to become a teacher?

Ms. Getz, the new French teacher here at LC, says what inspired her the most when it comes to teaching is her mother. Ms. Getz said, “ I think probably my parents inspire me the most because I have been watching them do it for my entire life.”

How did you pick what you wanted to teach?

Ms. Getz picked what she wanted to teach when she got out of college. She stated, “So the first time I ever did that was like a teacher adjacent was in the middle of COVID. I graduated and moved to France to become an English teacher in France, which is like you’re not really a real teacher. You’re like helping the other teacher there. I came back and became a permanent sub for a French class. But when I moved to Boston, I became a teacher in Boston, and over there I was the world history teacher, which is now I co-teach World History.”

What ways are you using your knowledge of French to help teach students?

Ms. Getz uses her advanced French skills to help kids learn French utilizing her knowledge of living in France and learning in college. She told us “So I want to encourage speaking and like trying out best and not being afraid to mess up.” Ms. Getz wants her students to not be afraid to mess up when speaking because it’s a part of the learning process and you’re not gonna get the pronunciation of words on the first try.

Ms. Enright

Is this your first year teaching?

Ms. Enright is the new multilingual teacher here at LC. This is actually not her first year teaching. She said “This is my fourth year teaching as an actual teacher.” She was originally an IA teacher, which is a part of the Exceptional Learner Department. She used to work here at LC with the Exceptional Learners Department.

How do you support students who are learning English alongside other subjects at LC?

Ms. Enright is teaching students whose first language is not English. Ms. Enright said, “Just a lot of checking in to see where they’re at and building confidence and using another language.” Ms. Enright tries her best to help all of her students when learning English alongside other subjects.

What’s one challenge and one success you’ve experienced helping multilingual students?

Ms. Enright tries her best to help everyone, but there are still some challenges when it comes to helping students who are at different levels of learning. She said, “ I think a challenge is that our classes aren’t split necessarily by level, like I teach a newcomer class and beginning class, but those students overlap, so some of them have been here for six months, one year, two years, it’s just sometimes challenging knowing who to group students with.” One success that she has had with the students is seeing the students pick up the language. Ms. Enright said, “ The thing is just seeing the student pick up the language. So a lot of time, I can just see it in their eyes that when they come in, you know, they’ve learned a new word, and they’ll share that with me,or they’ll learn or they ask me questions about, you know, things in the United States and our community.”

Mrs. Booth

How would you describe your job as a Plato teacher?

Some may not know the advantages and possibilities that Plato classes can bring, much less who to go to if they are interested. But now, Ms. Booth is starting her first year here at LC as the new Plato teacher. “I oversee the Plato classes”, explained Ms Booth, “So any students that are making up credits, wanting to graduate early, or just wanting to get a better score on a past class they have taken will come here”. 

How do you keep students engaged in an online setting? 

Ms.Booth is looking to start her first year off smoothly, which involves keeping her students on task. And while this could be difficult in an online setting, she doesn’t back down from a challenge. “To keep students motivated, we will have in-class competitions between periods to see who can get the most classes done for a reward. Also, the quicker you get your classes done, the less work you have for the rest of the school year.” 

  What hobbies do you have outside of school

But her students aren’t the only ones keeping motivated. Outside of the classroom, Booth is still dedicated to pursuing future occupations. “I’m studying to become an art teacher as well as being a painter, full-time artist, and working part-time at a beauty store.” 

Mrs. Simpson

What is your favorite part of the job?               

Coming from Franklin Central to LC, Mrs. Simpson takes up the position of counselor for her 14th year with pride. “In my opinion, I have the best job in the world. I’m a lifelong learner, I like to learn new things, education always appeals to me, and I like working with students.”              

What inspired you to become a counselor?

 Simpson shares her motivation for becoming a counselor and how the experience changed her.  “I was a journalism student, and I went on an assignment with a Wish TV reporter to John Marshton Middle school (no longer exists) to shadow the principal for the day. I never saw education from that perspective, and I saw the impact he had on the school, and it really opened my eyes.”

 What advice would you give to students here at LC?    

 For those just beginning their time here at LC or even existing students, Simpson shares some advice to help you throughout high school. “Getting to know your counselor. Developing a relationship with them so you feel comfortable with coming to them is really important. That person can help you throughout high school and towards college or whatever is next for you.”       

Ms. Thompson

Why did you become a teacher?
She became a teacher because she was a quiet kid in her middle school and high school years, and she always wanted a teacher that understood her and whom she could feel comfortable talking to, and taught kids who didn’t want to speak up.

Why did you choose to become an art teacher?
She chose art because that is one of her favorite things to do, and she wants to make sure she loves what she does so that it’ll reflect on the kids,just loving art and wanting to help the quiet kids.

Who has the biggest impact on you?
She said the assistant principal at another school, because he understands her and would hold her accountable.

Mr. Bullard

 How would you describe yourself as a teacher?

He describes himself as ¨ collaborative. ¨ He tries to get kids engaged in different ways.. And he tried to build relationships with his students.

What subject do you teach, and why did you pick it?  

He teaches history. He chose this topic because he says ¨ it’s a fun topic, you can make it more engaging, and there are tons of activities you can do with it and things.¨

What is your favorite thing about teaching? 

He says that he “loves being around the kids,  loves all the different personalities, and that every day is a different day!¨