306. The Leader Inside: Featuring Lauren Kaufman

2024-09-21

Aspire to Lead

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37:01

In this episode of Aspire to Lead, we sit down with Lauren Kaufman, author of "The Leader Inside," to explore the untapped greatness that lies within each of us. Lauren shares her journey and insights on why mentorship plays a crucial role in personal and professional growth, and how mentors—whether we realize it or not—are often closer than we think. From discovering your inner leader to recognizing the mentors already in your life, this conversation is filled with meaningful reflections and practical takeaways that challenge conventional thinking. Tune in to discover how to harness the power of mentorship and unlock the potential within yourself and those around you, paving the way for transformative leadership.

About Lauren Kaufman:

Lauren Kaufman is the Director of Literacy K-12 for a school district in Long Island, New York. With over 17 years in education, she has served as an assistant principal, elementary instructional coach, an elementary and middle school reading specialist, new teacher mentor coordinator K-12, creativity camp enrichment program supervisor, and a 2nd and 5th-grade classroom teacher. Lauren is a lifelong learner whose professional passion is to empower teachers to lead so they can share their gifts with others and develop lifelong literacy practices in all learners. She has led teams developing 73 Units of Study in reading and writing K-5, has provided educators with job-embedded professional learning that supported a balanced literacy approach, and guided new teachers with acclimating to the culture and climate of a school system. She has organized Long Beach Literacy Day and has presented at local and national conferences including, NCTE, #LBLit, LIASCD, #EDCampLI, Long Island Technology Summit, Long Island Language Arts Council, #NerdcampLI, and Literacy Matters Conferences. Lauren enjoys sharing her learning through blogging on her own platform, is a contributing author in George Couros’ book Because of a Teacher, Lainie Rowell’s book Evolving With Gratitude, IGI Global’s Designing Effective Distance and Blended Learning Environments K-12, is an author for Edutopia, and a guest blogger for the Teach Better Team, Future Ready Schools, and Defined. Lauren appreciates sharing best literacy practices with colleagues, and wholeheartedly believes in developing powerful professional learning communities and networks that cultivate meaningful, relevant learning and growth.