Chris Lauretig
Chris Lauretig is a lifetime resident of Cleveland and a graduate of Cleveland Heights High School. After graduating from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio with a degree in Political Science and a Minor in Philosophy, Chris operated a Baskin Robbins franchise in Cleveland Heights for 8 years. In 1995, Chris returned to his alma mater and coached baseball at Cleveland Heights High School. He was the Junior Varsity coach for 4 years and the Head Varsity coach for 5 years. Upon the birth of his second child in 2004, Chris resigned from his coaching duties to spend more time with his family.
In 2001, Chris earned a teaching certificate as a Special Education Intervention Specialist from Cleveland State University. In the fall of 1999, Chris was hired at a Cleveland area school district as a Job Training Coordinator (JTC). As a part of his job, Chris was required to earn a vocational certificate, the Transition to Work Endorsement, from Kent State University. His duties included helping students with disabilities find community-based employment and coordinating the students’ training on those jobs through the use of job coaches. He also helped coordinate the students’ transition from school to the adult world, often through linking students and their families with adult service agencies for support.
In 2002 Chris was hired as the JTC to startup a vocational program that served high school students with typical intelligence, but a history of academic and social failure. In academic terminology, these students were identified with the special education designation of Emotional Disability (ED). The program has since added an academic component and turned into an all-day alternative high school.
No matter where Chris has worked his passion for personal growth has been apparent. This is most evident in the development of Out of the Matrix, which occurred as an outgrowth of his work with his students. He and Tony Senf collaborated to create Out of the Matrix as a program to facilitate the turnaround of these “Failing” students. You can hear about the results Out of the Matrix produces by visiting the testimonials page. Chris is often heard saying, “I would not be teaching this material if I did not consistently hear from our graduates that it was one of the most transformative experiences of their lives”.
Chris Lauretig’s book Living the Guided Life!
Link to their website – http://www.outofthematrix.org/meet-the-creators.html
