Today, from Lafourche Parish, Collette Williams, was presented with a certificate of appreciation and a Saints autographed football.
When Williams was in the seventh grade making a presentation to the fourth graders, she instantly knew that she was meant to teach. She remembers how she thoroughly enjoyed answering questions, and can remember how she lit up in a classroom setting. She went on to complete her undergraduate degree at Nicholls State University.
She has been teaching for 32 years and has been at Golden Meadow Middle School for the last 12 years. Though she has taught all grades and subjects, she is loving her current position – teaching eighth-grade reading.
“I belong in seventh- and eighth-grade. And I knew I was never going to leave the classroom,” Williams said. “I have absolutely no desire to leave.”
Despite the fact that her eighth-graders face the LEAP tests each year, she feels confident in them, and, with her teaching strategies, her students feel confident as well. Her favorite aspect of teaching is student success and relationships.
“The first group of students that I taught are adults now – probably around 44 or 45-years-old. And I’m now teaching some of their children,” Williams said. “It’s a full circle. Knowing parents and grandparents and to watch the growth of relationships, for me, is something really special.”
