Favorite Quote: “It’s not your fault; it’s your problem.”

Originally from Chicago, IL, Mr. Laird has been the stuff of legends in Peoria since starting at Spalding High School forty-seven years ago. Mr. Laird has helped students grow in reading, writing, and thinking independently, especially with his famed essays that are graded at the front of the classroom side-by-side. He enjoys the students at PND and has grown in his faith since working at PND, especially through his membership at St. Philomena Church. When not in his classroom or monitoring the east side of the building, Mr. Laird is a published writer and is a Member of the 1965 Chicago Public League Champions in Baseball.