As an educator, Mary has spent many years working in districts where the population of English language learners was very small. Over 20 years ago, when she moved to a school where there were 36 different language groups represented, Mary obtained her Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Thanks to her degree and desire, the school asked her to assume the ELL role in tandem with her classroom job.
An empty nester with time and zeal, Mary worked with other teachers to teach strategies, supports, and interventions to create pathways to success for the multicultural community. Teachers were so enthusiastically supportive that they created the World Day event, a tradition now in its second decade that celebrates the diverse backgrounds in the school community with food, costumes, literature readings, artwork, and more. Mary considers this legacy to be one of her best contributions to the field of education.
She has lived in Mexico, spent numerous vacations in Brazil to visit family, and loves to visit locales off the beaten path anytime she visits a new destination. Mary hails from southeastern Michigan and holds degrees from Eastern Michigan University, Madonna University, and Arkansas State University. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother who works hard to instill the joy of world travel into the hearts and minds of her friends and family. Mary also works with an international high school student exchange program and mentors visiting students for the year they spend in the United States.
You can connect with Mary on Instagram at instagram.com/MMcLaughlin or on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/mary-mclaughlin.