Meet Lauren Weber: Special Education Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Weber and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I decided to start my own business after years of experience with working with students that needed specialized instruction and accommodations, both in my professional life and my personal life. In the school system, I was part of a team of professionals creating Individualized Education Plans for students, and often the team would recommend the student needed one hour of occupational therapy, one hour of speech therapy, one hour of reading, one hour of math, etc. I thought, “Is there a way to deliver everything these students need more effectively and efficiently? How could I weave aspects of all these therapies into my own comprehensive approach to individualized student instruction?” Two years ago, I did just that and created Silver Lining Education. What was clear to me throughout my years of teaching and raising my own children that when allowing extra time, providing understanding, and presenting the material in an individualized and meaningful way, all students can build the confidence and love for learning. Since I am trained in Structured Literacy and have taught reading programs such as the Barton Reading Program, Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program for reading, spelling and speech, and Edmark Reading Program, I decided to combine my formal training and education with the entrepreneurial spirit that lives within me to start my own business dedicated to helping students learn on an individualized basis. At Silver Lining Education, I use evidence-based curriculum while tailoring it to the student’s interests using a multi-sensory approach. Multi-sensory instruction can be broken down into four pathways; auditory, visual, tactile and kinesthetic. When a lesson utilizes all four learning pathways, it capitalizes on the strengths of the student. Some examples of multi-sensory techniques you will find students doing in my classroom include jumping on the mini- trampoline while reciting math facts, practicing their phonemes by writing them in the sand, and using colorful window markers to write the vowel teams on the glass of the window. I love to get the most creative in the areas of reading and writing.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have extensive experience dealing with a full range of learners, among them: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Specific Learning Disabilities-Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Executive Functioning deficits, ADHD, Down Syndrome and Speech Language Impairments. I am a firm believe that our brain works on success and modeling and empowering students to have an “I can” attitude is everything!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Special thanks to my fourth grade teacher, who always made learning fun, would go out of her way to make you feel special and always believed in you! Her enthusiasm and creativity is something I want to always emulate when working with my students. Also, a special thank you to my family and friends for supporting me and making my dream turn into a reality.

Website: www.silverliningedu.com
Instagram: silverliningeducation
Facebook: Silver Lining Education
Other: Lauren@silverliningedu.com