Teacher Tuesday 11: Meet Laura Ticho!

Laura Ticho is our Education Specialist in the SpEd Department at Caliber Beta Academy. Laura is in her first year of teaching through Teach for America (after interning at Caliber for the second half of the school year last year) and is a positive, passionate force to be reckoned with. She is devoted to her students in every way. We are so lucky that she is a part of the Caliber Team + Family. 

An excerpt about Laura from a member of her team: ​Laura is dedicated to changing opportunities for students with disabilities at Caliber Beta. She is hard-working and focused, takes ownership of her students' success, is highly collaborative, and embodies a "whatever it takes" mindset for each of her students. She pushes herself to learn and implement equitable practices for her students, especially when they present with challenging and complex needs. She is a solutions-oriented creative problem solver, and we are lucky to have such a kind, intelligent, dedicated educator on our team!

All about Laura: 
​I grew up outside of Chicago and decided to move West to The University of Oregon for college. I majored in Family and Human services and ended up doing a lot of internships with special education programs. I knew that I wanted to work in some capacity for the students who so often fall through the cracks because the "mainstream" system isn't necessarily compatible with how they learn. My mom was a teacher and I grew up always telling myself that I was never going to teach, but I quickly realized that education was such a strong empowerment tool and I wanted to be a part of it so badly. I joined TFA and was placed in Richmond last year in the middle of the school year since I graduated early (I can't believe I have been at Caliber for almost a year!). I started here as an aide and came to love Caliber for the sense of community, the space for each teacher to be creative with their styles, and the emphasis on each person's strengths as educators. I loved how much I learned as an aide and am learning even more from my incredible peers every day as a teacher. I admire my fellow teachers so much and feel so lucky to have them to learn from.

A recent interview with Laura: 
What is your favorite thing about teaching SpEd at CBA?
My favorite thing about SPED is the TEAM!

What was your favorite subject growing up? 
My favorite subject growing up was math.

Did you always think you were going to become a teacher? 
I never thought I was going to become a teacher... My mom knew better apparently!

Favorite candy bar or sweet treat?
Favorite candy is sour gummy worms... or pecan pie... or recess peanut butter cups

If you could go on a dream vacation, what would you do + where would you go? 
Dream vacation would be either visiting all the national parks on a road trip or backpacking Patagonia

What is your favorite thing about the Bay Area? 
Favorite thing about the Bay area is how much there is to do around here! Quirky cities surrounded by nature is so cool.

What is one fun fact that most people don't know about you? 
One fun fact about me is that I used to do musical theater as a kid. My entire family and I performed in musicals when I was growing up. They still do it; I stopped in high school.