About Laurie
Boomer. Educator. Advocate. Eclectic topics: grandkids,
special needs, values, aging, loss, & whatever.
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I published my first book, Terribly Strange and Wonderfully Real, at age seventy — better late than never. Before embarking on my encore career as an author and blogger, I taught high school English, was a school and community volunteer, and became an early childhood educator and administrator. I founded and directed Warren W. Cherry Preschool in Evanston, Illinois, an innovative developmental early childhood program that includes and celebrates all children. My dream is to create welcoming and inclusive school communities in which all children can learn and thrive.
I have published on The Chicago Tribune’s blogging platform (ChicagoNow), Midcentury Modern/Medium, Huffington Post, AlterNet and MyRetrospect. My topics include education, with an emphasis on early childhood education and including children with disabilities. I also write about community building, technology, gun safety, equity, women's rights, and current politics. I explore issues that impact my generation: retirement, parental loss, reflective memoirs, and being a grandparent. And sometimes, I write about whatever strikes my fancy through the lens of a Boomer who both battles and embraces (mostly) change.
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I write to share my opinions and to explain who I am and how I lived to younger generations of my family. If others enjoy reading my posts and reflections, that’s great. But if I must confess the truth. I write for myself because that is who I am.