Welcome Back, Lauren Skipper

Lauren Skipper is rejoining our Chets family after being on the mommy track. She will be returning part-time and will be working in our gifted program. How lucky are those kids?!

Lauren started her teaching career at Rutledge Pearson Elementary after majoring in Early Childhood at Florida State. She spent 3 years teaching kindergarten there as well as serving as the “Magnet Lead Teacher.” Maria Mallon was one of her Pearson teaching buddies! Lauren left, what she calls, "her little pond as a BiG Fish" and came to Chet’s Creek (thanks to family friend, Lori Metzger) as "a little fish in a VERY BIG POND." She says she was more than overwhelmed during her first year at Chet’s teaching 1st grade! Then after only a year her husband’s job led them to Tampa where she taught kindergarten again at a good school with a VERY unsupportive principal and a faculty NOTHING like Chets'! During that time she kept in touch with her colleagues at Chets and read everything that her Chets' friends were reading. When she and husband were led back to Jacksonville after that one year, she says she went running back to Chets - this time really ready to embrace the fast paced learning and be part of a REAL COLLEGIAL LEARNING COMMUNITY again. She spent the next four years looping K-1, learning and growing along with her colleagues. She also became Nationally Board Certified, following in her sister's footsteps. She left Chets three years ago to stay at home with her little boy, Chase and has not regretted a minute of her time with him. During that mommy break, she was blessed with a baby girl, Caroline Faith. Now, believe it or not, baby Chase is not a baby anymore. He will be starting Kindergarten this year!

Even while she has been away, Lauren has remained on the grade level e-mail, just to keep up. She says Chets Creek is her second family, her home away from home. She can't imagine teaching anywhere else. While she has loved being at home and “just being a mom (ha-ha)” she says she has missed the personal relationships and the professional conversations that come with being a part of such a wonderful learning community. She says she is extremely fortunate to be given the opportunity this year to job share (I think we're the lucky ones!) and “have my cake and eat it too.”

Lauren has two absolutely beautiful and spirited children, Chase(5 ½ ) and Caroline(18 months). There is never a dull moment at the Skipper house. Allen, Lauren's husband, is wonderfully supportive and Lauren says, the best dad in the world. Lauren is also blessed to have her parents in town who are the BEST grandparents and her biggest cheerleaders.

Lauren says her family loves to read- especially at the beach and they spend as much time as they can there. She is currently reading Being a Great Mom Raising Great Kids by Sharon Jaynes which she would recommend to ANY mom. She loves reading fiction and has read a lot by Jodi Picoult lately (seems to be a Chets Creek favorite author!) She even says she's a little bit addicted! The last Picoult book she finished was Picture Perfect.

Lauren will be job sharing with Jen Zawis as they teach our gifted children - two mom that have figured out how to have the best of both worlds! Welcome back, Lauren!