Take Five with Laura Godwin: Literacy Interventionist and Climate & Culture Lead at Dore Elementary

Take Five is a series that highlights some of the many members of the CPS community who are going above and beyond for our schools. If you know someone who is making a difference, nominate them to be featured here.

This week, we’re excited to feature Ms. Laura Godwin, the Literacy Interventionist and Climate & Culture Lead at Dore Elementary School.

From the time she was a little girl who loved playing school, Ms. Godwin always knew that teaching would be a part of her life. She has held many positions across her 25 years at Dore, including that of a classroom teacher for kindergarten, first grade, and grades fifth through eighth. Now, as a school interventionist, she is able to provide additional learning support for students from kindergarten through eighth grade. Ms. Godwin is known to be an asset in creating a positive and engaging learning environment, and makes it a point to ensure that the students and staff around her feel happy.

Read more about Ms. Godwin and her work below!

Why is the work of a school interventionist so important? 

This work is critical, because students sometimes need a little bit of extra facetime, small group work, and attention to be successful. I think our work is great for students and gives them what they need to keep moving forward in the classroom. 

What are your biggest goals for your students? 

I want to give them confidence, and I want them to know that it’s okay to struggle. Sometimes we have to struggle to be productive. And when we overcome those struggles and achieve, that's when the confidence comes in. 

What keeps you coming back to Dore year after year? 

I love it here, it’s like my second home. I've been here for so long, but I've never even considered moving on or looking for work somewhere else. The staff that work here have been together for very long periods of time. We all just get along, and there's a sense of family and camaraderie. We want to be here, we want to work together, and we want to have fun

What advice do you have for new school interventionists?

Just have patience. Days can be rough, and this job is tough, so just have patience with yourself and with other people. Remember that we are all just human beings, and we're all doing the best we can to work towards the same goal.

What do you like to do outside of work? 

I'm a big reader, so I'm constantly looking for books. I have four children, and I love to be a part of whatever they're up to and whatever they’re doing, so they take up a lot of my time. But something that people might not know about me is that I make the world’s best chocolate chip cookies!