Lori Riley

Instructor:

My name is Lori Riley, and I was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. (also known as a "Yooper") I am a single mother of a daughter, and 2 dogs and 2 cats. From the time I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. As I grew older, my education and experience took me on a variety of different paths, and although I never actually held a job teaching in front of a classroom, I have always been involved in the world of education.

I worked in the world of Head Start for almost 14 years - straight from college, in fact. I graduated from Lake Superior State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Services and an Associate Degree in Child Development. My former position was a dual-position with the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Inc., as the Director of Early Head Start and as the Education Services Manager for both Head Start and Early Head Start. I also served on the Curriculum Committee for Bay Mills Community College, and completed a 2-year term as the Region I Alternate for the National Indian Head Start Director's Association.

Currently, I hold a position as the Supervisor for one of two Spectrum Health Child Development Centers, which were created to serve the early childhood development and child care needs of families with children from birth through age 5, who work for Spectrum Health. In addition to my duties as the Supervisor, I am blessed to have many opportunities to work in the classrooms and have a great deal of direct contact with the children and families enrolled at the center. It is a job that provides me with a healthy balance between spending time playing with the children (including changing diapers and wiping noses) and helping to guide their development, while supporting and guiding the teaching staff in ways that allow them to make the most of each child's experiences.

Since the focus of my education and experience had always been with young children, I never expected to be teaching adult students at the college level. However, I have thoroughly enjoyed every experience I have had with my students since becoming an online instructor, and look forward to working with many more students seeking their education in the field of early childhood.~~~