LouAnn Tuttle
- Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education
- Teacher in Michigan City
LouAnn Tuttle earned her Bachelor’s degree in
Elementary Education from Purdue University North Central
in May. Today she teaches kindergarten at Niemann Elementary
School in Michigan City.
Being a teacher was her long-held dream. “I have
a special way of making young children feel good about
how they are,” she explained. “I choose
elementary education because I believe this is important
in helping children build their self-esteem.”
Tuttle has discovered that what she learned as a student
definitely helps her now that she is a teacher.
“I’ll be doing something in the classroom
and I’ll think of one of my professors and remember
something that they taught us in class,” said
Tuttle. “My PNC education gave me the foundation
for being a good teacher. I cannot think of a more wonderful
profession. Teaching completely suits me.”
Tuttle’s daughter Antoinette Robinson is now a
PNC student in the pre-veterinary medicine program.
“I knew that she would appreciate the smaller
campus and personal attention available on the campus,”
said Tuttle. “I wanted her to receive a high-quality
education - what better way to do all those things then
to attend PNC?”
Tuttle came to PNC when she was 41 years old and a mother.
She admits she has some self-doubts about her decision.
“I wasn’t sure that I belonged on a college
campus at my age,” she said. “When I started
working toward my degree in Elementary Education I realized
that age didn’t matter. We were all there for
the same reason and we encouraged each other.”
She motivated herself to excel in class and earned a
near-perfect grade-point-average. A lot of work and
sacrifice went into her achievements
“It was a very hard adjustment from working to
being a full-time student. You can’t leave school
at school when you leave. At times that I had to miss
family functions because I had to do homework or it
was finals week,” she recalled.
“I would have never made without the support of
my family. My husband, my children and my grandchildren
have been my backbone. When things got tough they encouraged
me. I feel that I have neglected them all at one time
or another, but they have assured me that we were all
working toward the same goal. I spent my late nights
or early mornings studying.”
In the meantime, she decided to get involved in campus
activities. She discovered that her accomplishments
motivated her to do more.
A sampling of her activities include: student government
representative; student government vice president; student
club advisor; Student Education Association treasurer;
Chancellor’s Leadership Scholarship; Chancellor’s
Leadership Seminar and Dean’s Leadership Group.
She also organized the Student Awards Night for two
years, helped plan the campus Children’s Halloween
Party for three years and went on a student-organized
Habitat for Humanity Trip to Mississippi.
“I would recommend PNC to anyone,” said
Tuttle without hesitation. “I appreciated the
small size classes and personal attention available to
students. My advice to anyone is to get involved on
campus. Join a club or two. Take advantage of all the
support available – when you attend PNC you don’t
have to go it alone. There are resources available for
academic support, financial support and social support.”
What are her plans for the future? “I will go
to graduate school, but I will teach for a couple of
years first,” she promises. Eventually, she hopes
to relocate to Florida, but vows to continue teaching
there.
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