Becoming Part of Louisiana A+ Schools, a Teacher's Perspective

Please enjoy this post by our guest blogger Natalie Sonnier

Epiphany Day School

Hi! My name is Natalie Sonnier and I am very enthusiastic about being a part of the Louisiana A+ Schools network.  I have been in the teaching profession for a year and a half. I started teaching a month after graduation. I graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a Bachelor of Science: Early Childhood Education and a certification in Middle School Mathematics.  I taught Middle School Mathematics from January 2012 to May 2012 at a Lafayette Parish Public School. I was accepted into Graduate School and started my studies in Educational Technology Leadership in July 2012. The past school year, 2012-2013, I have been a Kindergarten teacher assistant at Episcopal School of Acadiana while working on my graduate coursework. I will begin teaching at Epiphany Day School in August 2013. I will be teaching second grade, my favorite grade as a child, and finishing up my Master’s Degree in the fall. I will be graduating on December 7^th, 2013 in Educational Technology Leadership from the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Second Grade Teacher Natalie Sonnier

I truly love my profession and couldn't be more blessed to work with children every day. My calling to teach started when I was about five years old. I sat my sister down in our pretend classroom and taught her the skills I was learning in Kindergarten.  I knew from a very young age that teaching was my passion and thank my past teachers for making a difference in my life. I hope to make a lasting impression on my students and instill the importance of education. I love creating fun and meaningful lessons, teaching life skills that are necessary, building relationships with parents and other faculty, and being a vital part of a child’s life. 

I am thrilled that Epiphany Day School has been chosen to participate in Louisiana A+ Schools. The 8 Essentials seem to be an excellent resource and foundation for the school. I am anticipating that my future classroom, planning, relationships with others will touch on all eight components.  I think the 8 Essentials that A+ Schools values are truly important to the school setting. I hope that the second grade curriculum and lessons I create will foster experiential learning, are adaptive to each learner, value multiple intelligences, and integrate art components.  Also, in regards to planning and relationships I hope the collaboration between teachers is effective and the climate is positive and fun for both students and teachers. I really think the foundation for A+ Schools gives the school resources and a foundation for a school that can make a huge difference in the community.

George Rodrigue Foundation Executive Director Jacques Rodrigue,
Epiphany Day School Principal Kathleen O'Shaughnessy and
Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne

The primary Essential that I would like to focus on is the arts. I am a very creative person in regards to creating fun and meaningful lessons and activities for the students, but I tend to lack confidence when creating visual arts. I believe that a teacher should be an example and it is hard for me to create art work that I am comfortable with. I know children are very creative, but I have struggled with this creative aspect my whole life. Also, I think curriculum is another Essential that I would like to focus on this upcoming school year. I have taught at the middle school level, but the first time teaching an elementary grade. I plan to focus on the curriculum and create a solid foundation for the second grade level. The lessons that I create from the curriculum will have solid objectives, expectations, evaluations of content, and focus on differentiation for all learners in the classroom.  I believe that throughout my first year teaching at Epiphany Day School I can grow in these two essential component areas and make a difference to the students, the school community, and to my profession. Hopefully, at the end of the 2013-2014 school year I can be an “A+ teacher.”