“A big kind of buzzword these days is ‘future ready librarian.’ What a lot of that means is, are we preparing young students for the technology that they’re going to encounter? Are we exposing them to coding, robotics and different things like that? We’re definitely … Continue readingTeaching kids the importance of reading is key
“I was looking at a librarian page on Facebook, and someone had posted about their Little Free Library. I thought it looked pretty cool. So when it came time to write Education Foundation grants, I decided to do one for our campus. “We placed it … Continue readingLittle Free Library connects kids with reading
“I was living with my grandmother in Kenya before moving here to be with my parents. I was 12 and in sixth grade. It was so difficult for me to communicate with teachers and students. I didn’t speak English very well, and nobody knew my … Continue readingKenya native appreciates education opportunities
“I volunteered to do some teaching in a juvenile detention center in Hemphill County one summer. That was a real eye-opener, going behind locked doors to work with those kids. The youngest was 11 or 12 and the oldest was 17. They were in there … Continue readingTeacher’s ‘calling’ extends to incarcerated youth
“I’m originally from Louisiana, a little town called Mamou. Everyone called it Big Mamou. As I was growing up, our family worked on the farms. We were in the fields picking sweet potatoes, cotton, soybeans, peanuts, watermelon. You name it, we did it. And everything … Continue readingFarm-worker family had their share of challenges
“I just finished my first semester at Northwestern State University in Louisiana. I’m there on a soccer scholarship. I had a few other offers, but I didn’t want to go too far away from home. It’s just a four-hour drive to Natchitoches. “At the same … Continue readingShe’s enjoying college experience, away from home
“School has always been sort of easy for me. I’m good at projects. Perfect for projects. But the one thing is, I’m not a really good test taker. For some reason, I’ve got like this phobia when it comes to tests. It’s like when there’s … Continue readingHe battles his way through test-taking phobia
“I’m 43, and right now I serve and bartend. But I don’t want to be doing that when I’m 60-65. So I’ve got to do something to educate myself. “After high school I went into the Navy for a little while. When I got out, … Continue readingAt 43, he gives college education another shot
“When I started helping out early last school year, there was this little boy who was really struggling to read. He would read really slow. But we worked with him throughout the year. So by the time the year ended, he knew how to read … Continue readingShe gets a kick out of tutoring young students
“My husband asked me the other day, ‘At what point did you know that you wanted to be a teacher?’ I can’t remember any defining moment. It just seems like that’s all I ever wanted to be. “I was that child who at the end … Continue reading‘Becoming a teacher seemed like the natural thing’