1. L AURA B USSARD Introduction EDU 671 Fundamentals of Educational Research Instructor: Frederick Ansoff

2. Aaron and I will celebrate our 14 th year of marriage in July! Aaron and I are both long time educators. He worked as a behavioral specialist in the Park Hill School District for 13 years. I taught pre-kindergarten for 11 years, then was a lead teacher for Head Start in the 2012-2013 school year. We are both Master’s students. He is an online student at the University of Missouri (M-I-Z!!!!) and I earned my BA from Ashford in Early Childhood Education this past May. We love college sports….volleyball, soccer, football, basketball, wrestling, baseball, even gymnastics. We are long time MIZZOU football season ticket holders and I have no doubt we’ll retire in Columbia, MO. Interesting fact about us: We were met and married in ten weeks!

3. We have two children, Allyson (12) and Travis (8). Aaron coaches all of the kids’ sports teams, football, basketball, and baseball for Travis and basketball for Allyson. Ally & Travis with Kim English, former Mizzou Basketball player and Detroit Piston. Ally attended Kim’s Basketball camp this past summer.

4. We live in Kearney, Missouri. Kearney is a small farm town about 25 miles Northeast of Kansas City. We love Mid-West small town life and we LOVE our Kearney Bulldogs! Interesting Fact: Outlaw Jesse James’ childhood home is in Kearney, MO. The home is still in good order and is now a museum dedicated to James’ childhood.

5. Family is extremely important to me. We are very close to my parents and my brother and his wife. Interesting Fact: I first went to college to follow in my father’s footsteps and be in Law Enforcement, however, I met Aaron and decided to give up my dream of being a criminal psychologist to have a family and discover a more ‘family friendly’ passion. (I still go on ride-alongs with my dad’s detective friends when I get an itch!)

6. My K-12 Educational Experience: I grew up in a family that has consisted of generations of teachers. My grandmother was a missionary teacher and my mother was and still is a Reading Specialist. I enjoyed school and always felt ‘at home’ in an educational atmosphere. In fifth grade I did encounter some problems for not focusing and not using my time wisely. This situation made my mother very anxious and I was under a lot of pressure to perform at school from home and my teachers. I finally felt some relief in sixth grade when my homeroom and science teacher allowed me to have some leniency to express my active multi-tasking personality by creating several jobs within the classroom for me. Mr. Stirlen was able to show me that teachers outside of my Mother truly cared about their students’ performances and successes. This made a lasting impression on me.

7. I am currently working for the University of Virginia, on an early childhood education research project, that is funded by a Kansas City grantee, Mid-America Regional Council. I am working on my Master’s Degree to eventually pursue a career in higher education. I would love to teach early childhood education or child development courses at a local university or online. Therefore, I do plan to complete my doctorate upon completion of my Master’s.

8. Good luck in class and I’ll chat with you on the discussion boards! ~Laura Bussard “I wake up with pride everyday because I am part of something bigger than I ever dreamt I would be”. -Unknown Favorite Quote: