Lori Desautels, Ph.D., is a university supervisor for the Indianapolis Teaching Fellows and Teach for America programs. She is also an instructor at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Before coming to Marian University, Lori taught emotionally handicapped students in the upper elementary grades, worked as a school counselor in Wayne Township, was a private practice counselor through the Indianapolis Counseling Center, and was a behavioral consultant for Methodist Hospital in the adolescent psychiatric unit. She graduated from Butler University with a BS in Special Education, from Indiana University with an MS in counseling, and earned her Ph.D. from The American Institute of Holistic Theology with an emphasis in early adolescence in thought formation.

“I wanted to reach as many students as I possibly could, so working with future teachers and helping them to understand a child's heart for learning is why I am instructing in higher education. I was brought to Marian after an introduction to Dr. Lindan Hill, Dean of Education, who had a vision for teaching that matched mine. It was an easy, rewarding and heartfelt decision.

“Effective teachers are ones that teach from a place of knowing themselves, a place that resonates with an open Mind and Heart reflecting the endless possibilities and dreams for all children.

“My advice for beginning teachers is to practice listening to that soft inner voice inside that disperses the knowledge of teachers and students as one body, a learning environment that embraces all styles, personalities, and diversity with an excitement for change! The teaching experts are your students when you listen with your heart and feel the goose bumps.”