Laura Caler welcomed as new English teacher

By MONICA DEIFE

Odessa has hired a new eighth through twelfth grade English teacher. Her name is Laura Caler.

Caler got her B.A. in secondary English from Eastern Washington University and her M.A. in education from Leslie University in Cambridge, Mass. which she earned through a correspondence course.

Caler took four years off from the time her daughters were born and then substituted in District 81 (Spokane) for five years. She had some long-term substituting jobs at Shadle Park High School.

In Odessa, Caler teaches six different classes, so she has more preparation to do. On the other hand, she loves the smaller class sizes here and that the kids are well-behaved, so they can get through a lot more material in one day. She emphasized how much she loves her students. She also said Dr. Duane Pitts, who retired from teaching English in Odessa in 2013, has been very helpful to her and substitutes for her when she has to be absent. She also mentioned that the administration is very supportive.

Caler heard about the job at Odessa through her friend, Victoria Iverson, the local attorney at Iverson Law Office, whom she knew in Spokane.

Her husband's name is Lane Balback and they have two daughters, Ella, eight, and Emma, ten, and their family lives on First Ave. She said she loves small-town life and is happy to be in a place where she's comfortable giving her own children more freedom.