Verona Third-Grade Teacher Molly Lawry named Outstanding Educator
The newest WEA Member Benefits – WEAC Outstanding Educator is Molly Lawry, a third-grade teacher at Country View Elementary School in Verona. She was recognized at the 2023 Wisconsin Badgers football homecoming game.
A teacher for more than 20 years, Molly is also involved in the school community through her work with the Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports (PBIS) committee and serves as a host for student teachers and practicing students from local universities. She also works with her school’s Girls On the Run program to build girls’ confidence and life skills through interactive lessons and physical activity.
Lawry found out she had been selected as an Outstanding Educator at an unscheduled school assembly. Two members of the Wisconsin Badgers cheer team were on hand to surprise Lawry and an enthusiastic audience of students.
Lawry was voted “most likely to be a teacher” in high school but pursued a different major during her first two years of college. She changed her major to education during her junior year when she accepted that she was destined to be an educator.
“I come from a long line of educators in Wisconsin from my maternal grandmother to both my parents, a couple of aunts, cousins, and my sister,” she said. “It is in my blood.”
Lawry is confident that going into education was the right decision. She said, “One of my favorite parts of my job is seeing the joy in student’s eyes and hearing the connections they make to learning. When students can voice how they have grown as learners and it connects to their goals it gives me goosebumps. That is why I teach!”
She has been a member of the Verona Area Education Association (VAEA) since becoming a full-time educator in Verona in 2003. She was a building representative for five years and is currently the VAEA treasurer.
“It is important for me to be a part of the union because of the support they give me and all teachers,” she said. “This profession is a challenging one, so knowing that there is an organization there to support you means everything.”
Lawry was nominated by Hope Schroeder, a third-grade teacher colleague from Country View Elementary.
“Molly Lawry is an amazing educator,” Schroeder wrote. “I have had not only the pleasure to be her colleague for the past three years, but also the privilege to be her student in her fifth-grade class. I know firsthand the impact she has on her students. It’s amazing how she inspires others around her to be the best they can be, both teachers and students.”
It turns out that the admiration is mutual. Lawry said watching Schroeder grow as a student, person and teacher has been one of the great rewards of her career, and a constant reminder of how she and other public education employees make a difference.
“I think I am most proud of seeing former students grow up and find their passions. I am lucky enough to currently teach with a former student and she is an amazing teacher, and I am so proud of her,” Lawry said.
Do you or a Wisconsin public school teacher you know deserve extra recognition as an Outstanding Educator? If so, complete this nomination form on the Wisconsin Badgers Athletic Department website. The form asks you to write a paragraph or two about what makes this educator stand out. Educators are welcome to nominate themselves.
The Outstanding Educator program is sponsored byWEAC and WEA Member Benefits.
