Returning to the halls she once walked as a student, Lauren Roeling now spends her days inspiring the next generation at Fossil Ridge High School. Whether teaching math in the classroom or coaching soccer on the fields, she continues to grow as an educator
“I do love being here,” Roeling said. “I always tell everybody I like hanging out with teenagers, and they think I’m crazy, but I think it’s much more fun to talk and hang out with teenagers than it is often with other adults.”
These differing opinions about teenagers keep Roeling engaged in her job.
“So they make me laugh. They keep me on my toes,” Roeling said.
Lauren Roeling’s journey started at Fossil before continuing to Iowa State University, where she earned her degree in math as well as an education license,and played college soccer. Her love for Colorado and Poudre School District (PSD) eventually brought her back to Fort Collins, where she now teaches math and coaches soccer.
“I just think it’s a really good district. I wanted to be in Colorado because I went to school in Iowa, and I realized I love Colorado a lot better, and Fossil is a great school,” Roeling said.
Roelling has been a coach and a teacher for eight years. She is the assistant girls varsity coach here at Fossil. She played soccer for as long as she could remember. She has always liked the competitiveness.
“I love soccer, and I love winning,” Roeling said when discussing her love of the game.
Freshman Ruthie Roberts is a student and a player of Roeling’s. Roberts has been playing soccer for as long as she can remember, and her favorite class is Roeling’s math class. She is thankful for Roeling’s coaching style.
“If we’re not having a good game, or if you’re not having a game, personally, she really tries to bring you up and, yeah, it’s great,” Roberts said.
Roelling has noticed the difference in relationships between students and players.
“I love that you can have kind of a different relationship than you can with your students, because you’re still in a school activity, but you’re outside of the classroom, and I think I can,” Roeling said. “ They’re the students I can relate to the most, because I went to school here, I played soccer here.”
Beyond coaching soccer, Roeling also dedicates herself to growing as a teacher.
“I think one of the biggest challenges as a teacher is just trying to reach all of your students, especially in math, because students come in at such varying levels of their experience, I want to help and push the strut the kids with stronger math backgrounds forward, but then I don’t want to leave the kids that you know really, really struggle with math behind,” Roeling said.
Through teaching and coaching, Roeling shares some guidance for all teenagers.
“Advice that I would give to students or players would be to work hard, and don’t lower your standards or your goals,” Roeling said.”If there’s something that you want to do, yeah, it might be hard, and you might not get it perfectly, but don’t be like I can’t do it. Go try at least, work for what you want, and it might not get you exactly where you thought, but it’ll get you somewhere good.”