Ladner can bring the world to Buffalo kindergarteners

Susan Ladner The surprising growth of the 2010-11 kindergarten class at Buffalo Elementary warranted the creation of a fifth class late this summer, and Principal Johnny Veretto was very proud to be able to fill that position with an experienced teacher. One could say, in fact, that Susan Ladner Henon brings a "world" of experiences to her classroom.

Known as "Ms. Ladner" to her young students, since the hyphenated version of her name might be too much of a mouthful for them, BISD's newest kindergarten teacher has previously taught in both Europe and Asia.

Susan was born in New Orleans and lived there through graduation in '75 from the University of New Orleans. After finishing her studies she taught for awhile, then went back to work on her Masters degree. Plans changed when she "met a Frenchman and ended up moving to France for the next 19 years.” Her three children were born there, and while raising her family Susan worked part-time teaching English at French schools.

With her husband's job transfer, the family next moved to Bangkok, Thailand, where Susan taught in British international schools. A British accent is still evident in her speech, although Ladner expects it to disappear very quickly, now that she is in Texas.

Asked what brought her this way, Susan matter-offactly explained that her marriage has ended and the kids have moved on. Daughter Jessica lives and works in Paris. Daughter Sarah is a humanitarian working in Cambodia, and son Yann is a student at the University of Monash in Melborne, Austrialia. Susan has family here in Texas and had always heard good things about the educational system here, so here she is.

After one week of school, Ms. Ladner says of her class, "It's been a good first week. They're very young and full of energy, but they're learning the routine. Moving along nicely!" Ladner's students will benefit from their teacher's creativity. "I've always been big on music and drama, and strong in language arts," Ladner admits.

Outside of school, Susan's favorite recreational activity is reading and she enjoys visiting museums. "I'm a real museum buff!" she insists.