Mentor Biography
Lori Kroutsky
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Lori received her B.S. in Recreation Resource Management from the University of Montana before coming to Alaska in 1982, with visions of becoming a park ranger-naturalist. Her passion for science and environmental education led Lori to enroll in Alaska Pacific University's teacher certification program, which she completed in 1983. She received her M.A. in Teaching in 2004. Lori has taught in K-4 classrooms in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Disctrict since 1984, and is a co-founder of Fronteras Spanish Immersion Charter School. She also worked for 3 years as a K-12 science and environmental education specialist in northern Michigan, and spent a year volunteering and substitute teaching in Australia, where her husband was participating in a teaching exchange. Lori's special interests in teaching are science/environmental education, multicultural studies, early literacy (especially writing), integrating subjects into meaningful units of study, and differentiating instruction to meet the needs of all students.
"There is so much joy in being a teacher! There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the light go on when children finally grasp a new concept or are able to understand it in a way that has meaning for them. I am a life-long learner, and that is something I want for all of my students," Lori says. "One of the most rewarding parts of teaching for me is when I am able to help to light the fire (or fan the flame) that inspires students to want to learn or encourages them to continue learning more. After many years of teaching young children, I am excited for a new opportunity and challenge. I am looking forward to working with new teachers, to encouraging and supporting them as they develop the skills, attitudes and practices that will help them to be the excellent teachers that they desire to be, and that their students deserve."
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