Answer Special Call to Serve - King's College

Faculty Profile
Laurie Ayre
Reading plays a significant role in everyday life, whether
it’s done to stay informed or purely for enjoyment.
Associate Professor of Education Dr. Laurie Ayre has
turned this fundamental skill into a career, devoting herself
to educating future teachers to foster literacy in young
children.
Laurie was raised in Glendive, Montana, a small rural
town located near the pine and juniper studded badlands
of Makoshika State Park. As one of six children growing
up in an isolated area (the nearest major airport is 225
miles away), Laurie recalls her childhood being centered
on family; she remembers taking piano lessons and French
from her grandmother and playing games in the gravel
streets with her brothers and sisters.
When it was time to pursue higher education, Laurie
wanted a college with a Catholic identity that was close
to home. She selected the University of Mary in North
Dakota, where she became the first member of her family
to earn a college degree, majoring in elementary education
with minors in music education and French.
A college bus trip to New York introduced Laurie to the
East Coast. She traveled by bus with a group of five women
to New York to visit landmarks and museums and attend
theatre productions. During her stay, a massive snowstorm
hit the Big Apple.
“I remember the look on people’s faces,” says Ayre.
“They were wondering why these women, including two
Benedictine Sisters, were helping push cars out of the snow!
Where we’re from, we were just used to it.”
After eight years as an elementary teacher in Glendive
Public Schools and teaching English and music at St.
Mary’s Grade School in Bismarck, North Dakota, Laurie
knew her true calling would be reading.
She wanted to learn more to help children improve this
fundamental skill and pursued a master’s degree in reading
education from Montana State University in Billings. Her
ultimate career goal was to teach the craft so, knowing
she needed a doctorate to teach at the college level, she
enrolled at Syracuse University.
As she prepared for her dissertation, a professor told her
about an open position at King’s College and suggested
she apply because he had heard positive reviews about
the College and saw similarities between Wilkes-Barre
and her hometown in Montana. Although the topography
is completely different, Laurie noticed the connection:
working-class families and a friendly atmosphere.
Since 1995, Laurie has worked in the College’s education
department, where she currently serves as associate
professor teaching undergraduate literacy classes.
Most of her courses take place off campus at afterschool
programs, such as the Kid’s Café at Heights-Murray
Elementary School and McGLynn Learning Center at
Boulevard Townhomes. After a month of lecture, Laurie
accompanies 20 students per class to the off-campus
locations where she helps undergraduates work one-on-one
with children to develop and improve reading strategies.
During her spare time, Laurie likes to read, mostly
biographies, especially of past presidents. She is enamored
by the French culture and practices speaking the language
with a close friend, who is a native of France, and with a
group of faculty and students who meet during the semester
to speak the language once a week.
One of her passions is singing, which she considers
a work-in-progress. She has taken lessons and plans to
continue them in the future with a former student, who has
a background in music from prestigious Ithaca College.
When considering the path her life and career has taken
to this point, Laurie took a moment to reflect, smiled and
said: “If you try to do your best, and continue to grow, God
takes care of you.”
Pride ✦ Fall 2009 11