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Welcome to Laurie's Innovative Learning Solutions!  
 

I thrive on figuring out the learning solution that will lead to your student's success.

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Bio

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Laurie Collins, M. Ed.










LinkedIn Profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-collins/  
 

Being a teacher is in my genes!  My mother was a teacher and my grandmother was a teacher. I have over 25 years of experience in the field of education in positions which include: elementary school teacher, mentor teacher, teacher certification field supervisor, K-12 reading specialist/education consultant, principal intern, assistant principal, college instructor, youth education program manager, and K-20 virtual teacher. 

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Three years ago, as I was deciding my next career steps, friends and family reached out to me asking me to help their students with distance learning. I taught students virtually, and my accomplishments include:

  • Advanced the reading level of students one to two grade levels during summer break.

  • Increased the reading levels of upper elementary students 1.5 – 3.0 grade levels within 7-10 months of tutoring. Most students were significantly behind at the start and were caught up when finished.

  • Enabled an 8th grader to raise grades from Ds and Fs to As and Bs.

  • Built positive self-concept of a perfectionist student who did not like feedback on work: by end of the year, the student comfortably asked for input on assignments.

  • Received parent input that revealed student self-perception significantly improved in reading, writing, history, and math.


After seeing what a beneficial impact I can make in this virtual environment, I am excited to continue on this path.

Education

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Additional Certifications:​

  • Residency Teacher, Elementary Education, State of Washington

  • Substitute Teacher, P-12, State of Washington

  • Clear Cross-cultural, Language and Academic Development Certificate, State of California

  • Professional Clear Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, General Subjects, State of California

Bachelor's Degree in Psychology
University of California at Santa Cruz

  • Studied human behavior; earned a degree in psychology.

Master's Degree in Education
Notre Dame de Namur University

  • Multicultural emphasis; taught to use culture as a strength in learning and development. 

  • 4.0 GPA

Principal Certification
University of Washington
Danforth Educational Leadership Program

  • Executive training with a focus on being a strong, effective leader in any work environment. 

  • Learned best practices for working with adult learning styles.

  • 4.0 GPA

Achievements

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Published Reading Strategies 

curriculum in The Seattle Times. 

  • Traveled to New Zealand to observe, learn from, and teach in schools with a 99% literacy rate. Implemented strategies upon return, yielding the same efficacy rate.

  • Wrote and received a grant to work with the author of The Gift of Dyslexia.

  • Awarded mentor position; provided support and training for new teachers.

  • Synthesized and implemented two district approved math curriculums to increase student math proficiency.

  • Supervised teacher interns at the University of Washington; resulted in 100% job placement rate in teaching positions upon graduation.

  • Designed and implemented a K-12 reading program for five school districts in Pierce County, WA; closed the opportunity gap in reading for Native American students in one district. 

  • Achieved a 97% success rate for tribal college students who took all five sections of the GED in 2013 (compared to national rate of 75%).

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