My name is Laurie Schmotzer, and I teach sixth-grade English Language Arts at the Rudolph Gordon School. I received my Bachelors of Science from Appalachian State University in communications with a minor in English. I also hold a Master's degree in literacy from Clemson University and  obtained my National Board Certification.

My husband and I celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary on July 4th of this year! We have two girls, Vivian (23) and Maggie (20).  Vivian finishes her Master's Degree in Translation at the University of Surrey in September. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Clemson University. This summer, we were able to visit her in England and also toured Scotland! Maggie will be a sophomore at Appalachian State University this fall. She is pursuing an English degree with a focus on creative writing. We have an RV and love to spend our family time camping and exploring!

After working in the private sector and raising my two girls (although that's still a work in progress), I enrolled in the PACE program and earned my teaching certification for middle school.  The 2024-25 school year will be my 14th year teaching. Collaboration is very important to me as I believe that all students benefit from this approach. 

Teaching my students empathy is probably one of the things I value over content. I believe that if I can give students the opportunity to understand someone else's perspective, their interest in learning and content will follow.