Center for Catholic Education at UD

By Victoria Schoen

The next Lalanne teacher we would like to introduce to you is 22 year old Lauren Hanzel. Lauren is a 1^st year teacher in the Lalanne program who is from Cincinnati, OH. She is a graduate of the University of Dayton. Lauren will be teaching in Holy Cross Central School as a part of the Indianapolis community. Let’s see what Lauren’s responses were to our interview questions:

What is your favorite subject to teach? English

What is your favorite subject to learn? Math

What is the one most important thing that you want your students to learn from you or take away from your teaching? Mostly, I want my students to believe in themselves. I would never want them to reach a point where they didn’t think they could complete the task at hand. So if that means teaching in a bunch of different ways or taking out extra time to help students who are struggling, I would do it.

Who is your role model? Describe them: My role models in my life are honestly all of the people that shaped me into the person I am today: my family, my friends, and my teachers. It’s hard to pick just one person because I know that without all of these people to learn from in my life, I wouldn’t be who I am today.

How were you inspired to become a teacher? When I was going through school, I always struggled with Math. So part of the reason I wanted to become a Math teacher was to help students love Math and work through it with them. I ended grade school hating math and I wouldn’t want anyone in my class to feel the same.

Why did you decide to become a teacher? I always kind of had a herd of children following me around when I was growing up. Then when I was older, I realized that I could relate to children sometimes better than people my own age. So it was kind of a no brainer that I would eventually become a teacher. If only so I could stay a kid as long as I could.

Why do you want to teach in Catholic schools? I’ve always liked the Catholic culture that comes with being in a Catholic school. There’s a certain understanding of treating others the way you want to be treated and I’ve always felt at home in them, growing up in Catholic schools my entire life.

What are three fun facts about you? My favorite season is winter, I love cotton candy ice-cream, and I love movies hard core to the point that I can quote really obscure lines from them.

If you could teach anywhere in the world where would you teach? I would probably teach in Boston if I could teach anywhere. Boston always just seemed like a really cool place to be and it’s kind of my dream city.

What do Lauren’s fellow teachers and the Lalanne program staff say about her?

“Lauren’s sarcasm is the best.”

“Lauren Hanzel, or Hanzie as I like to call her, we were roommates for the beginning of Lalanne retreat. At the beginning of the retreat I thought she didn’t like me and she thought the same about me. Thank goodness that wasn’t true! Lauren has become one of the first years I became closest to. She is always there to make sure I am alright or to make me laugh in any way. Needless to say, she is pretty great!”

“Lauren is the most unique human in the best way possible.  She remembers more movie quotes than anyone I know and watching the Bachelorette with her on a Monday night is always the highlight of the week.”

“Lauren has a very confident sense of humor and relatability that we all truly benefit from.”

“Lauren is a charismatic, entertaining teacher with a passion for relationships.”

“You might have heard of Lauren Hanzel before. Have you ever read the famous piece of literature Hansel and Gretel? Yea, I thought so. It is no wonder this strong independent woman got accepted to such a prestigious program called Lalanne. But Lauren’s heroic actions are not just limited to the story we all know and love. She continues to demonstrate her heroic actions into her teaching with her students. She provides them little pieces of bread crumbs to follow until they arrive at their own conclusion and understanding. If you had Lauren as a teacher you would be the happiest person in the world (with bread crumbs).”