Today we’d like to introduce you to Maryann Lazzeri.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Maryann. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started off as an early elementary school teacher in New York with a Master’s degree in education and a focus on literacy/gifted education. I absolutely loved my time in the classroom but decided to take a short break when I had kids, with every intention to return to the job I loved. During my leave of absence, my husband got an opportunity for a two-year stint for his company in Chicago. Since I had exactly two years left on my leave, I decided to take this leap of faith, and we moved halfway across the country with our 1 and 3-year-olds in tow.
While Googling playgroups in Chicago for my kids before we even moved, I found and joined the Downers Grove Area Newcomers (DGAN) women’s social group. I got very involved and joined their board almost immediately, (eventually becoming president of the organization). One day, while at the zoo with some new friends I had made, another mom noticed my 3-year-old daughter reading every sign we passed. She was beyond surprised and asked how that was even possible. I told her that I use a bunch of reading games and play-based reading techniques to make it all super fun for her. She asked if I could teach her 3-year-old to read as well, so I agreed and started working with her child once a week during my son’s nap time. As word spread about these fun and effective reading classes, I started taking on more and more students, and my Super Readers DG program was born. The program is a weekly hour-long class in groups of four (or less). Children ages 3-6 learn various literacy skills needed for reading such as letter sounds, rhyming, syllable counting, etc. and are eventually reading by the end of the program.
Last year, due to numerous requests from parents to create a similar play-based math program to get preschoolers ready for school, I started Super Mathletes classes and my company, Super Learners LLC, was created. Starting this company has been quite an adventure and I love seeing how much it grows and evolves every year.
It is pretty crazy that life has been quite an adventure but I feel so fortunate to be doing what I love and am now a proud sponsor of the Downers Grove Area Newcomers group!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
One of the struggles I have found along the way is finding the right family/work balance. My family is my world and I love that I am able to have a job where I work from home while my kids are in school so I am still available for all of the after-school activities, carpool shuffling, etc. However, I am always looking up new ideas, and I spend a lot of time in my classroom on the weekends prepping new games differentiated to each student and making sure every week’s lesson plan has the right balance of higher-level education and movement (since they are still preschoolers and can’t sit still very long). I am a perfectionist and always want to make my classes more and more fun.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Super Learners story. Tell us more about the business.
Super Learners LLC’s mission is to teach children through various forms of educational play to develop confidence, understanding, and build a love of learning. The small group structure allows for individualized differentiated instruction at each child’s level, allowing every child the optimal opportunity to participate and succeed. Children learn various literacy and/or math topics through entertaining and engaging activities which create a firm educational foundation. The programs are cooperative, interactive, and most of all, fun!
I am most proud of my students who work so hard week after week to master the skills we work on. I love when a child comes to me without any previous knowledge of letters and leaves reading. It always amazes me how the light bulb goes off one day and they take off running. I also love when kids come to me with no knowledge of numbers and leave my classroom knowing how to count, how to graph, compare numbers, etc.
As far as my company, I am most proud that I started this on my own from the ground up, and it has grown to the level it is at today. I am constantly thinking of new ways to grow so stay tuned!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Having been born and raised in New York City, I never thought I would be living and working in Chicago! What was supposed to be a short 2-year adventure has turned into a completely new life for myself and my family. We have been very lucky to have made so many new friends along the way who have become family to us. My husband and I tell each other all the time how happy we are to be raising our kids here, and how we couldn’t imagine doing it anywhere else. Chicago has become our adopted home and we feel so lucky to be here!
Contact Info:
- Address: 1969 Elmore Avenue
Downers Grove, IL 60515 - Website: https://www.superlearnersllc.com
- Phone: 917-741-7881
- Email: SuperLearnersLLC@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Julianne Green Photography
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