As she turns on the lights, and logs in to her computer, Honors English I teacher Lanie Colquitt prepares her lesson plan for the day.

After graduating high school from Lewisville ISD, Colquitt made the decision to pursue a career in education. She said her high school journalism teacher inspired her to become a teacher. Now in her fifth year of teaching and third year at Prosper High School, Colquitt teaches Honors English I. Her curriculum focuses on helping students develop writing and communication skills over the course of students’ freshmen year. Next school year, she will be moving to Richland High School to advise the newspaper program. RHS will open its doors for the 2025-2026 school year this August.

“There’s such a transformation that happens your freshman year,” Colquitt said. “You learn a lot, especially about how we want you to be able to write and communicate with others.”

Colquitt uses a collaborative and hands-on teaching approach centered around group and partner activities.

“I like to have the work be focused on you,” Colquitt said. “Teaching is very group-oriented or partner-oriented so that you are essentially teaching each other and learning together.”

She also emphasizes the importance of verbal and written communication, along with analyzing information efficiently.

“Mostly what we want you to take away is just that ability to communicate with each other, whether it be verbally or in written text,” Colquitt said. “And just being able to analyze information correctly.”

Over the years, Colquitt said she noticed that some students consistently demonstrate a deep understanding and quick grasp of complex concepts.

“Sometimes it feels like y’all are smarter than me, even though you aren’t aware of it,” Colquitt said. “It’s just interesting to get to learn from you all as I go throughout this.”

Colquitt recommends the fantasy novel Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo for students interested in well-developed characters and plot twists.

“They’re pretty thick books, but they are incredibly well written,” Colquitt said. “I think it’s a book that a lot of kids would really enjoy, even if they aren’t initially fans of fantasy.”

Next school year, Colquitt will begin a new position at Richland High School as the Modern Media I teacher. The course, formerly known as Newspaper, aligns with a long-standing professional goal.

“Being a journalism teacher has always been a goal of mine since high school,” Colquitt said. “My journalism teacher was very influential in my life, and I loved being on the newspaper staff.”

At Richland, Colquitt plans to focus on student-led coverage and developing newsroom independence.

“My vision is to allow a space for students to be as independent as they can and really build the skills that they need,” Colquitt said. “To run their own newspaper and be prepared for the future, whatever that looks like for them.”

Colquitt said she believes student journalism is essential for covering teen-focused stories and for developing long-term writing and reporting skills.

“It builds those skills for students,” Colquitt said. “So they are prepared to possibly go into careers of journalism or similar fields.”

Colquitt has experience writing in various journalistic styles, including sports and feature writing.

“Me personally, I was big into sports writing,” Colquitt said. “It’s really fun writing, but I love feature writing and just normal articles too.”

Colquitt’s move from Prosper High School marks the end of a three-year tenure on campus where she built lasting relationships with colleagues and students.

“I’ve never been on a campus for more than three years,” Colquitt said. “So I haven’t been able to see a class graduate yet. I wish I had gotten that opportunity.”

Colquitt said one of the things she will miss the most is the students who regularly stop by her classroom to visit.

“I’ll absolutely miss the students that swing by my room every week,” Colquitt said. “Or every day just to say hi.”

Looking ahead, Colquitt plans to focus on adapting to a new teaching method and many course responsibilities.

“My main goal for the next school year is to find a comfortable balance,” Colquitt said. “For me between all the classes that I’ll be managing.”