Laura believes God called her to the teaching ministry and equips her for daily work in the first grade classroom. He has placed in her those skills and abilities through which he works to feed His lambs. Laura knows that if anything "good" happens in her room, it is by God's grace, not her merit. The teaching ministry is filled with blessings--not a day goes by that the Lord doesn't reveal Himself in ways both large and small.

Laura believes 6 and 7 year olds learn best in a safe, nurturing environment where they are free to take risks in their learning. They need to be actively involved each day in each lesson. They need to move and sing and speak as well as sit and listen. Learning happens in so many ways.

Literacy is woven into each subject. First graders need to be immersed in print and given the support they need individually to make sense of that print. Reading and writing need to be meaningful in order for kids to flex their literacy muscles. Each student is at a different place and so needs different support. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening are life skills, and the groundwork has to be solid.

Laura graduated from Concordia University in River Forest, IL, in 1983 with a BA in Education. She taught in the second grade in Chicago, IL, for 5 years before returning to her home state of Wisconsin. She spent two years teaching at the Kindergarten level. In 1990, she accepted the call to teach first grade at Our Redeemer and God continues to call her to ministry in this place.

Laura and her husband, Brad, have three children. All three attend schools that nurture their faith.  The Pattersons value the strong Christian education their children receive.

I graduated from Carroll College in 2000 with a Communication degree and worked in the marketing field for almost 5 years. I enjoyed what I was doing; however, deep down I felt that something was missing. I always thought that if I had a chance to go back to school, I would go back to become a teacher. After much thought, I decided to take a leap of faith to follow my dream of becoming a teacher.

In June of 2006, I received my initial teaching certification through Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee. Every day that I am in a classroom, I know that this is the right path for me. My love for children and learning consumes me when I am in the classroom. I want to share my passion for learning and Jesus with my students.  I am currently in the process of obtaining my Masters of Art in Teaching degree through Cardinal Stritch University.  I hope to complete my Masters degree in May of 2011.

Being a teacher at Our Redeemer is very special to me. I attended Our Redeemer Lutheran School in Delavan, WI when I was in grade school. I believe that the Christian education that I received at that school has given me the strong foundation that I live my life on. I look forward to sharing my experiences with my students so that they too can build upon their strong foundation in Christ.