Alum, Teacher, named Moorhead’s 2011 Teacher of the Year
By: Wendy Reuer, INFORUM
Teacher Lauren Rood wasn’t planning on becoming a teacher. He certainly didn’t plan on being Moorhead’s 2011 Teacher of the Year. (Moorhead High School teacher Lauren Rood, second from left, helps students, from left, Zach Johnson, Nate Anderson and Tommy Kluth with a go-kart frame during their welding class Friday morning. Photo by Carrie Snyder / The Forum)
Rood, a nine-year automotive instructor at Moorhead High School, was selected as the 2011 Moorhead Teacher of the Year by the Education Moorhead Communications Committee in December.
Along with automotive, Rood teaches small-engine and welding classes to grades nine through 12.
Rood first went to school for engineering and then decided to become an automotive technician, receiving his associate’s degree from Minnesota State Community and Technical College. He was working in the repair field when he was approached by retiring teacher Darvin Miler. Miller suggested Rood make the career move from shop to classroom.
“He wanted someone who had a strong industry background,” Rood said.
Rood went back to school and completed his bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in education from Bemidji State University. He also graduated from MSUM in 2004 with a degree in industrial technology.
“I couldn’t have planned this in a million years, but I’ve never been more fulfilled in my life than now,” Rood said.
He said receiving a Teacher of the Year award is very special to him.
“It’s humbling. The way I look at it is that it is an opportunity to represent teachers because there are so many that have worked so hard for so long,” Rood said.
Gene Boyle, Moorhead High School Principal, said Rood is well deserving of the recognition.
“He has an innate ability to understand things and communicate them to students. On top of all of this, he is very smart and pleasant,” Boyle said. “He has high expectations, high energy and a lot of hands on, and that is where the students really thrive.”
Rood said he plays with the same things he teaches. At home, he has a loader and backhoe he built from scratch. That “making something from scratch” and watching the pieces fall together are what the students really enjoy, Rood said.
Rood’s classes are a place where students learn the applications of their curriculum. He said it is a joy for him to see students begin to understand how the math and science components they are taught can be applied in his classroom.
“It’s brand new to them even if I’ve seen it a million times,” Rood said.
Rood is president-elect of the Moorhead Teacher’s Union and will serve the next two years as president.
“That’s the other passion of mine: advocating for teachers,” Rood said.
A native of West Fargo, Rood said he may have grown up a Packer, but Moorhead is his home now.
“I’m a Spud now. I’m happy to be,” he said.