As CHS Spanish teacher Laurel Landrum sits on her black, cushy desk chair, she cannot imagine pursuing a career in anything else.

Landrum earned her degree in psychology at the University of Michigan. She wasn’t ecstatic about the idea of grad school, so she started working as a social worker for her county after she graduated from college. She wasn’t entirely fond of that career, so she decided to go back to school to be a Spanish teacher.

Part of this life decision was the fact that her sister-in-law was a French teacher. Landrum mentioned that her sister-in-law had deeply encouraged her to pursue her goals in the Spanish education department.

Landrum also mentioned that another French teacher in her life, CHS’s own Marci Harris, is a big part of why she comes to school every day. Harris is a friend of Landrum’s, and she sometimes acts as her mentor. Harris enjoys the school atmosphere, which made Landrum realize that, in actuality, so does she. She likes being at school; a key factor of her decision to become a teacher.

Landrum enjoys being part of kids’ high school experiences, something that builds their foundation of life. Being a forum leader and Spanish teacher, she is able to help students strengthen their knowledge of the language as well as build their high school connections and community.

“It’s a touchstone for a lot of kids and families here,” Landrum said. “There are people who went to Community and still come back to Community, that still talk to their friends from Community. I’m part of this engine that runs so much of young people’s lives.”

Teaching at CHS is something that Landrum has become accustomed to, as it’s where she’s spent most of her career. She taught at Catholic schools for a brief moment and then taught at CHS and Ann Arbor Open at the same time. After this period of teaching at other schools, Landrum found that CHS was the perfect place for her.

“I don’t know that I could go anywhere else; I don’t think I’m equipped for it anymore,” Landrum said. ”When I talk to people from other schools about, for example, dress codes and hall passes, I’m like, ‘I would die if I had to do that.’ I appreciate that about Community.”

When it comes to other professions, Landrum wouldn’t rather be anywhere else. She has a passion for gardening, and even likes to create graphic designs. But, when it comes to life-long careers, Landrum is completely satisfied being an educator.