As students settle into their seats in room C237, they are greeted with a smile and endless enthusiasm by Coppell High School English teacher Laura Salamone, ready to start the class with an adventure into the literary world.
Regardless of the day or situation, Salamone shows up prepared to teach and mentor all of her students. Not only teaching them the depths of English, but also life skills to carry with them throughout their lives.
“I love teaching older teenagers because I feel like young adults can be so misunderstood and they are just trying to figure out who they are as a person,” Salamone said. “With students this age, you can have an adult conversation and yet, they’ve got such this zest for life that they’re not quite out there in the world yet making this such an important time for them.”
Salamone’s love for teaching started at a young age, knowing teaching is what she wanted in her future. Growing up with a love for learning in school, Salamone held a special connection with her various English teachers over the years.
“I loved school as a kid; I just loved everything about it,” Salamone said. “I think most teachers are inspired to go into the profession by a teacher they had. Ms. Galleia was my fifth grade English teacher, and I loved her, wanting to be just like her. Ms. Brown was my ninth grade English teacher and she was also so cool because she would write poetry every morning so from then on, I knew I was going to be an English teacher.”
Salamone completed her undergraduate degree at Boston University and later earned her graduate degree from William & Mary. In the 1994-95 school year, she started her teaching career at Coppell High School. Afterward, she moved back to Boston for a few years prior to returning to CHS in 2010. From 2013-2019, she taught at Coppell Middle School East before coming back to CHS in 2019, where she has been teaching ever since.
“I was a stay-at-home mom for 13 years and when I was coming back to the classroom, I was nervous and questioning if I really wanted to be back in the classroom,” Salamone said.
Instead of immediately returning to full-time teaching, she spent one year as a substitute teacher, which led her to fall in love with the job all over again.
“People often have the thought process that the grass is greener on the other side,” Salamone said. “Anybody in any profession or job could complain, but I love my job. I have great students and I work with two amazing colleagues: [English teachers], Linda Moore and Tracy Henson.”
Salamone works to not only help students succeed in English, but to also build a connection to a core subject they will use for the rest of their lives.
“My favorite part about Ms. Salamone’s teaching is that she is driven to help us succeed,” junior Zaheer Ali said. “Her main goal is to help us achieve our goals, while always being happy and having a positive attitude which translates to us as students.”
Salamone has worked alongside many different people throughout her years as a teacher in Coppell. In her first year at CHS, Salamone became friends with CISD Superintendent Dr. Brad Hunt, who was a teacher at the time. Dr. Hunt would later be her principal.
“The first thing I noticed was her love of kids, her willingness to go the extra mile, her compassion for others. She’s one of a kind,” Dr. Hunt said via email. “We also became friends outside of school. When she moved away and we kind of lost touch, so when she wanted to come back to CHS, I was thrilled. She couldn’t believe I was principal.”
Throughout her years and challenges, Salamone is known for spreading positivity and happiness.
“Laura is amazing and is a perfect example of what you would want from an employee, teacher and friend.” Dr. Hunt said. “She’s such a positive, innovative English teacher who really connected with her students and made learning fun.”
In 2010, when Salamone returned to teaching, she was also battling cancer. While managing chemotherapy appointments during her conference periods, she still made it a point to be there for her students and coworkers.
“She always has a good attitude, even when I know things were rough in her life when she was going through cancer,” English teacher Mathew Bowden said. “She’s always had a smile on her face that spreads to others; she is a positive person and you wouldn’t know if anything was wrong.”
Salamone’s positivity does not go unnoticed by her students either, making a difference in so many overall high school experiences.
“Regardless of the day, she is always smiling and making sure that we are OK and it makes a difference,” Ali said. “I can go to her and have a conversation without feeling like I am just a child. I know she will treat me like an adult and respect me as a person.”
Salamone’s dedication to her students and passion for teaching extends beyond the classroom, as she strives to create a supportive environment where every student can thrive.
“I think the most amazing part about Salamone is that she really cares about her students, caring about education in general,” Anatomy and Physiology teacher Jodie Deinhammer said. “She wants to make sure that everyone has a good experience in her class while also getting the most she can out of it.”
Salmone believes that teaching is about more than just a curriculum. Knowing the importance of junior year, she strives to help students through it.
“I love working with juniors for so many reasons; they’re on the cusp of figuring out who they’re going to be and where they’re going to go to college, which is a lot of stress,” Salamone said. “Yet, I want them to also realize they just need to take the ‘umbrella view’ and pull back for a second. They are still in high school and I feel that makes it easier to release the stress and see things from another perspective.”
Regardless, Salamone is ready to come to school and share her love for English with her students.
“I’m very enthusiastic about what I teach,” Salamone said. “I get excited about the material and am able to share that excitement and positivity with my students, creating a place for my students to work hard and excel.”
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