Laurie Derringer
About
I will always be grateful to Jefferies and the scholarship program for the help they provided to me and my family while I was in school. I have had a wonderful career in education during the last 19 years.
Our community has been hit hard over the last few years due to several casino closings and a high level of unemployment. The children in our community come to school with many needs and challenges but my husband and I feel that we are making a difference one child at a time.
During my 19 years of teaching, I had the pleasure of teaching many young children in preschool and kindergarten classes. Last spring our district was awarded a federal grant to provide a full day preschool program to students from low income families. As a requirement of the grant, the district had to hire a master teacher to act as a coach and support the teachers, students and families. I was overjoyed to be hired for this new position. I am presently the preschool master teacher for Hamilton Township Schools and I am working on my supervisory certification.
Currently we have 60 preschoolers involved in the grant program and we will grow to 90 next year. There is a long wait list for these preschool slots and it goes to show how many families in my town are having a hard time making ends meet. Every day is a new adventure and I am so excited to go to work each day.