Florence McLaughlin


Picture: This is a picture of me and my family on vacation at Yellowstone National Park in the summer of 2005.

Current Position: Paraeducator

Work Location: This is my 7th year at Spinning Elementary.

Family: I have been married to my wonderful husband Alan for almost 21 years. We have two sons. My oldest son, Bryan, is a senior at PHS and has had an amazing academic experience through the Puyallup School District. My youngest son, Nathan, is a 7th grader at Kalles Junior High. Nathan was at first apprehensive about going into junior high, but he is doing very well as a 7th grader. Both my boys are alumni of Spinning Elementary which laid the ground work for their academic success. We also have an 8 year old lab mix named Sam who is very much a part of our family. At Christmas time, he gets just excited as the kids and can’t wait to open his presents!

Interesting Fact: As a paraeducator at Spinning, my job has led me in many directions from “working the corner” (crossing guard), to the drama-filled playground, as well as into the classroom working with many great and talented teachers. I’m hoping my new role at Carson (although yet undisclosed) will again lead me to working with a variety of staff members for the benefit of the students – indoors! J

Dream Job: I feel I am living my dream job in raising my children to be compassionate, responsible, and successful people within society. I was fortunate to have been a stay-at-home mom with them during their early years. This allowed my husband and I to not only nurture and care for our boys, but has enabled us to instill core values which are important to us as a family as well as to our society. Our goal for them is to gain independence and be productive in their future endeavors in life. Watching them develop into wonderful human beings is in itself a dream come true!

Pictures: This summer we got a new black lab puppy (Lacey) to add to our family. She is a great companion for our other lab, Sysko, and helps keep the family entertained at home and when we go camping. They especially like running around on the beach down at Ocean Shores where we frequently camp on the weekends.
Current Position: Sixth grade teacher & Planning Assistant Principal for Carson Elementary
Work Location: The overflow campus of Pope Elementary at ERHS.
Family: I have two daughters, Kirsten (15) and Megan (12), who both attend Aylen Junior High. My wife, Brenda, is a nurse at Tacoma General Hospital and an active Girl Scout troop leader. We also have the two dogs mentioned above to round out the family at our home in the Puyallup valley.
Interesting Fact: I am an army brat and spent much of my early childhood living abroad, mostly in Germany. My mom is German so we have plenty of relatives over there that now visit us here frequently. We also like hosting foreign exchange students and have hosted many kids from Japan, China, and Germany over the years.Dream Job: When I was young my dream jobs varied from an active career in an emergency room as a physician, a helicopter pilot, an adventuresome career in the military, or just simply becoming the next Superman. Once I found out you had to be an actor to do that one, I decided to go to college instead and discovered that working with kids was my true calling where I could spark kids’ imaginations just like my teachers had obviously done to mine!

Jo Ann Noel

Pictures: I am standing in the Atlantic Ocean at Jacksonville, North Carolina. Roy and I spent three weeks there this summer visiting with our son, Marc. The water is so much warmer than the Pacific Ocean. The second picture is of Roy and I enjoying Valentine’s Day on the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train. The last picture is of our dog “Duke”. He is a German Shorthair Pointer and is nine years old. Duke lives with our son in North Carolina because hunting for birds is a great pastime for the two of them.
Current Position: Second Grade Teacher
Work Location: Spinning Elementary
Family: I have been married to a wonderful man, Roy, for 34 years. He is semi-retired and loves to cook dinner for us! We have two children. Marc is a professor of Geology at a college in North Carolina. Lori is a lease analyst for a firm in Fife. They both are products of the great Puyallup School District K-12 and then onto the college of their choice. Marc graduated from CWU and UTEP and Lori from WWU.Interesting Fact: Roy and I have begun remodeling our home that we have lived in for 29 years. I have learned to install toilets, hardwood floors, mud ‘n tape, light fixtures, and tile! I can’t say that it is my “dream job”, but I am enjoying the challenge of fixing up and updating our home.
Dream Job: I am living my “dream job”. I grew up with two brothers and two sisters in Tacoma. We lived in a large older home with a great basement. I always insisted on playing school in that basement and my students were my siblings, neighbors, and cousins. Of course, I was always the teacher. As a first grader, I knew that I wanted to teach when I got older. I have taught for 32 years and have enjoyed every moment. I can’t think of any other job that one could have for so long and still love getting up every day and going to work

Amber Petersen

Current position: Librarian and BTL at Spinning Elementary.
Work location: Spinning Elementary
Family: My children are growing much faster than I ever imagined they would. My son is 21 and attends WSU. Go Cougs!!!!! He is starting his Jr. year and majoring in mechanical engineering. My daughter will be turning 20 in just a few short months and will be attending Clover Park technical school in their dental assistant program. This summer has been a great opportunity for us to do some wonderful mother/daughter time. The majority of my family lives in Shelby, Montana. This is where my mother, two of my three older brothers live. Needless to say I am the youngest and the only girl. Don’t worry I wasn’t brought up to always get my way. I had to learn to negotiate to get it. LOL
Interesting fact: As a child my favorite place to go in the summer was to my uncle’s farm. I grew up riding donkeys, and trying to milk cows, that didn’t want to be milked. I learned to drive early in life. I believe I was about 12 and my cousin taught me to drive a tractor. I almost ran him over but lucky for him there was a fence to climb. I believe life on the farm taught me to be adventurous and maybe even a bit of a thrill seeker. One of the reason I had sooooo much fun this summer doing the zip line at Whistler. The best part of the ride was getting stuck 2000 ft above the river and having to be rescued.
Dream Job: I don’t know if I ever thought much about a dream job when I was younger. However as I have been teaching for 29 years I realize this must be my dream job, because I am having so much fun with it. I have never like having a job where you did the same thing
day after day. In the library no day is ever the same. Every year I get to share new books to students. What could be more rewarding?

Barbara Stroud

Picture: This summer our sons and their wives gave us a surprise anniversary party with delicious food, wonderful friends/family and great memories. The picture is of my husband of 36 years, Roger and our granddaughter Mia.
Current Position: Title-One Teacher
Work Location: Spinning Elementary
Family: My family consists of my wonderful husband Roger and two great sons. Bill and his family live in Renton and our son Jim and his wife live in Phoenix. We also have two grandsons and a granddaughter.
Interesting Fact: After I got married, I moved to Alaska and taught school for two years in Anchorage. My body thermostat is cold most of the time and I did not look forward to the harsh winters up there. I found that for nine months out of the year, I would wear long thermal underwear just to keep a hint of warmth on me. Recess duty at ten degrees is not fun! Although I no longer wear the thermal underwear , I'm still cold-blooded--so I'm looking forward to having a classroom at Carson Elementary that is WARM--hint, hint Arturo.
Dream Job: As a small child, I would play school with my sisters and brothers. We would play for hours and being the oldest child in the family, I got to be the teacher. My love for education started at an early age and I feel so grateful to have fulfilled my lifetime dream of becoming a teacher.

Lisa Benjamin

Pictures: We got a new puppy named Zoey. She has been a lot of fun. I needed to get another girl in the house with me and all the boys. The next picture is a picture of my husband and two wonderful little boys.
Current position: This year I am back to teaching first grade. I have recently been a 1st and 2nd grade "looping" teacher.
Work location: Pope
Family: I have 2 boys, Matthew is 7 and Riley is 6. They attend Pope and will be going to Edgerton Elementary next Fall. My
husband, Greg, is a high school counselor for the White River School District.
Interesting fact: Most people don't know that I have been a HUGE Barry Manilow fan since I was very young. (I try not to tell too many people.) I even wanted to name my first child "Mandy", but since it was a boy we didn't think that would be a very good idea. I'm hoping to see him in Vegas for my 40th birthday in November. Dream job: I have done my ideal job for the past 17 years!!!!! I would LOVE to teach Kindergarten one day also.

Sandi Adams-Ahlers

Pictures: The picture was taken on a whale-watching expedition during our summer vacation to Alaska. My husband, Bryson, and I were watching with amazement as a pod of about 15-20 humpback whales were bubble feeding. To watch these leviathans orchestrate their feeding in unison was truly a lifetime experience. We saw a second pod doing the same thing later in the day which, according to locals, was a rare experience.
Current Position: This year I am teaching a grade 3/4 split at Stewart Elementary.
Work Location: Stewart Elementary
Family: I am married to Bryson, who is a lifelong learner with a passion for education. He is a physician and a wonderful helpmate. He has always been involved with education, and my students love to talk science with him. I have 2 step-sons, Chris and Brian, who live in Southern California. We live in Graham and spend as much time in nature as we can.
Interesting Fact: Going to the library was always one of my favorite activities as a child. I still am an avid reader and at one time had enough books to open my own bookstore. I now recycle most of the books I read to friends and family and even our librarian comes to me to get her book fix.
Dream Job: When I was in 3rd grade I decided I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. Being the 10th of 12 children I didn’t think I would ever have to opportunity to go further then high school. My dream came true…working with children!