New English teacher Lauren Frantz’s career has taken her to numerous states and countries doing what she loves.

“I was previously a teacher at Andover High School,” Frantz said. “I did my student teaching at Newton South High School, taught English in Greece for a year, and worked for a college access program in Chicago.”

Despite the challenges of teaching in a different country, Frantz was interested in some of the different responsibilities the kids hold around the world.

“The teaching in Greece I did was probably the hardest teaching I’ve ever done,” Frantz said. “The school had a farm on the campus, which was really cool. There were olive trees and things, and the students spent a lot of time farming… I really loved getting to travel around Greece.”

She initially took her love for English to Davidson College in North Carolina, where she majored in English and found out exactly what she wanted to do with her life.

“When I was in college, I did a teaching assistant thing, and when I was doing that, that was the first time where I was like, wow, I can make a really big difference doing this,” Frantz said.

Despite the challenge of working in a new school, Frantz is excited about working at Algonquin. She teaches sophomore English, junior English and a creative writing class.

“[Algonquin] has been way better than I expected,” Frantz said. “Switching schools was always really hard. The people here are really nice and friendly, and my students are fun and care about stuff.”

Frantz knew she wanted to come to Algonquin as soon as she walked away from her interview.

“I interviewed here and it seemed like a really awesome place,” Frantz said. “I was really excited for the book list as an English teacher, and the students are willing to try new things.”

All new teachers have a trained mentor to help them with their first year transition. Frantz’s mentor is English teacher Emily Philbin.

“The first time I met Lauren, I would say I was impressed with how intelligent she is, how thoughtful she is, and how reflective she is,” Philbin said. “She’s always thinking about how things would go and how they connect.”