Middle school teacher Laurie Coggins: ‘Always try your best’

Huntington Middle School teacher Laurie Coggins, who was a top 10 Teacher of the Year, urges her students to believe in themselves and to never let anyone tell them different.

Originally from Indiana, Coggins had her first teaching experience overseas in the Philippines due to her husband being in the military. She taught for the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS). She also had the opportunity to teach in England.

Coggins has been teaching at Huntington Middle since it opened in the early 2000s. She’s been teaching overall for a little over 18 years. She taught two years at other Houston County schools before taking a position at Huntington Middle. Her first year teaching in Houston County, she taught elementary at Morningside and then she taught middle school at Bonaire and Feagin Mill.

At Huntington Middle, Coggins teaches honor students in seventh grade world geography and eighth grade physical science.

“I think we have the best administration,” she said. “They’re extremely supportive of me as a teacher, supportive of the curriculum that I teach, supportive of new ideas that I bring in and they’re visible at the school. They’re wonderful.”

Coggins received her undergraduate degree from Georgia College in Milledgeville and her graduate degree from Florida State University.

Why teaching?

“It’s what I’ve always wanted to do. From the time I was little, that’s all I wanted to do. I had a third grade teacher who was very influential in my life and kind of steered me in this direction.”

What brought you into the field?

“It was my third grade teacher, Ms. Bernhart. I remember her being about 10-feet tall, but she really wasn’t that tall. My family, growing up, was military, so we had moved quite a bit. We had just moved back to this area. I was new to the school, and she kind of made me feel welcomed. It really made a difference.”

Any inspiration from past teachers?

“Definitely from Ms. Bernhart. She was the one who probably had the biggest impact on me as a teacher in third grade.”

Best part of teaching?

“The students. I love my kids. Yes, I consider them my kids. The best part really is, especially teaching gifted, I get to have these kids two years in a row. I really get to know them; they get to know me. It goes beyond just that teacher-student relationship. I’ve taught brothers, I’ve taught sisters. I know families. For me, it’s all about the kids.”

What is it about teaching that you like the most?

“I think that I get to learn just as much as they do. They teach me as much as I teach them, whether it’s a new dance or some new music and other things as well. The kids I teach are just so knowledgeable and creative. They challenge me and I challenge them. I think it’s just a good mix.”

Most challenging part of teaching?

“I would say probably time — having the time to teach the curriculum the way I really want to teach it, time to prepare for teaching that curriculum, time for grading papers, time for collaborating, just time in general. There’s just not enough hours in the day.”

Anything that makes your job difficult?

“I really don’t have anything that makes it real difficult. I’m very fortunate. I have wonderful students, parents, administration, supportive staff members. Other than that time constraint, that’s really the only challenge.”

If not teaching, what?

“If I wasn’t teaching, I would be in forensic science. Originally, when I started teaching, I was actually teaching reading and language arts and I just kind of fell into a science position when I was overseas. My master’s is actually in reading and language arts, which is kind of a shock when I tell my kids because I don’t teach that at all, not specifically. I kind of fell into science and it’s just been fascinating to me. I love the true crime stuff. I would love to be a forensic scientist. I could be a coroner; I could do any of that CSI investigation.”

Advice to students:

“Always try your best. Don’t ever give up just because something is hard. Education is your ticket to your future. Believe in yourself. Rely on your teachers for support. Rely on your family for support. Don’t ever think you can’t do something. Don’t ever let anybody tell you that you can’t do something. Just stay determined. Stick with your goals; go for it.”

Advice to parents:

“Be in your child’s life. Be an active part of your child’s education. Know what’s going on with them at school. Ask them about their school day, not just, ‘Do you have homework?’ Because you’re going to get a one-word answer. Ask them, ‘Tell me about what you did in science.’ That makes a huge difference in a child academically and socially. Be an advocate for your child, definitely if you are concerned about things. You are your child’s best advocate. Stand up for them.”

Home life:

“I’ve been married for 30 years [to Barry]. I have three children. My oldest is Amanda. She’s 26 years old and is a teacher at Westside Elementary. This is her fifth year teaching. My middle child is Aspen. She just turned 21 years old and will be graduating from LaGrange in May and then she’s going to grad school. My youngest is my son, Avery. He’s age 19 and studying engineering at Kennesaw right now. I have a dog, Chester, that we rescued. He’s a Labrador, about 100 pounds.”

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