Lori Rech

Lori Rech may be “retired” from teaching middle and high school, but that hasn’t stopped her from continuing to educate and inspire young minds. The recipient of the Educator of the Year award in her community brings 33 years of experience and an undying passion for teaching to BRI as a professional development instructor.

Lori grew up on a farm in Shelton, Nebraska that has been in her family for over 100 years. There, her parents instilled in her a love of education and taught her to always strive for excellence. As she progressed through high school and college, she was inspired by numerous teachers and professors who allowed her love of history to grow.

After originally planning to attend graduate school to become a professor, Lori discovered the joy of instructing young people during her student teaching. She decided from that moment on to become a teacher instead. She received her B.A. in Education from Kearney State College in 1985 and her M.A.in Education with an Academic specialization in American History from the University of Nebraska in 1991.

Over Lori’s 33 years of teaching, her proudest moments always centered around her students. “I had a wall behind my desk where I always kept letters from past students,” she says. “I loved following their achievements and appreciated hearing how they either used or appreciated what they learned in my classes.” She’s taught a wide variety of subjects including American History, World History, World Geography, Psychology, Sociology, and Civics.

Lori has been attending and enjoying BRI seminars since 2001. She remembers fondly her time at the weekend colloquia at Mount Vernon and in Arlington, Virginia. She utilized many of BRI’s vast resources in her classroom days, citing the Presidents and the Constitution, and the Supreme Court DBQs as her favorites. “While I am no longer in the classroom, I still get to feel connected to classrooms by working with so many wonderful and topnotch teachers and students across the country in our seminars, weekend colloquiums, and summer programs like Constitutional Academy,” she notes.

Lori’s favorite historical figure is George Washington, due to how aware he was of his place in history. “He was careful to create traditions that would follow the Constitution and was mindful of the rule of law,” she explains.

Technically retired now, Lori loves to travel. At one point in her life, she had visited more countries in the world than states in America. She currently has two main goals on her bucket list: visit and tour Australia and New Zealand and view the earth from the moon.