Lauren Grubaugh of Cameron Park is the author of “Governor’s cuts will hurt students,” one of the five most compelling stories submitted to the Right To Learn Campaign.
Lauren Grubaugh brings a unique perspective to public education, having been home schooled until 6th grade and having attended a charter school for 7th and 8th grade. When she first attended Granite Bay High, she couldn’t believe the lackluster attitude of her peers.
“There were so many kids who were uninspired and not passionate about learning. They were there because they had to be,” she expressed to Right To Learn in a recent phone interview.
The daughter of two teachers, Lauren has always been passionate about education because her family placed a high value on education. She’s always loved learning and trying new things and brought this same disposition to Granite Bay High.
But Lauren does empathize with her fellow students. Forced to sit in a classroom for 7 or more hours, learning things that they will never use again after the test, students can easily feel uninterested or unmotivated to learn. Lauren feels that curriculum should be more applicable to students’ lives and suggests more field trips at every grade level, from elementary school to high school.
Lauren’s passion about education can be attributed to her upbringing, and her first-hand experience in public high school, where schools treat students more like numbers with grades. “If the focus is numbers there’s something wrong with that. If the focus is grades then there’s also something wrong with that because you’re dealing with people … not numbers.”
In response to the recently proposed budget cuts to California public education, Lauren poignantly states, “The state is not valuing the future…The most important thing that educators, administrators, and the State can do is focus not on the standards…but on the people.”
An editor of her school newspaper and director of the youth drama club at her church, Lauren considers herself a leader because she respects her peers and likes helping people question things. “I like making people think.”
Lauren’s passion extends well beyond the domestic realm, and in the future, she hopes to study abroad in Latin America during college. She has traveled to Costa Rica a few times and loves to speaking Spanish. Her ideal job would combine writing and speaking Spanish, and she hopes to teach ESL or become a reporter in Latin America.
She lives with her mom, dad, and two brothers in Cameron Park.
Tags: education, Granite Bay, homeschooling, passion
