Dr. Kelly Lorenz teaches Social Studies at North Gwinnett Middle School. Dr. Lorenz was born in Texas, but she moved to Missouri as a young girl and grew up there. Dr. Lorenz studied at the University of North West Missouri and, although originally a Spanish major, chose to dual major in early childhood and elementary education.
Throughout Dr. Lorenz’s life, she has enjoyed working closely with children at church events and others jobs, which eventually influenced her decision to become a teacher. Although Dr. Lorenz was not always interested in becoming a teacher, her family revered and respected teachers to an incredible extent, which she believes was foundational in her decision to become a teacher. As a teacher, Dr. Lorenz loves watching students succeed based on their own discipline and hard work; she enjoys watching students grow and develop habits they will use throughout their lives – not simply learning the curriculum.
As her students develop new skills, Dr. Lorenz also wishes she had a deeper look into the everyday lives of her students. She believes this deeper look could provide a unique understanding of every student that she could use to help students develop skills in a way that works best for them. As a teacher of middle schoolers, Dr. Lorenz’s biggest challenge is making school feel relevant for students. She makes students feel a connection to the curriculum they learn, as she believes it makes it more fun and provides students with a better, more solid understanding of the curriculum. At North Gwinnett Middle School, Dr. Lorenz believes she and other teachers make the school exceptional through their willingness to meet kids halfway. Rather than making school harder than it has to be in an already challenging time in life, the teachers at North Gwinnett Middle School try their hardest to treat students as unique learners, and it pays off.
Catherine Dent, one of Dr. Lorenz’s accomplished students, feels as though she has excelled in this class due to Dr. Lorenz’s care for students as real people. As a teacher, Dr. Lorenz truly goes above and beyond to meet the unique needs of each of her students, and this truly makes her one of North Gwinnett Middle School’s strongest and brightest educators.
