ACADIA PARISH — For over four decades, Patty Ronkartz says she’s embraced teaching as a source of joy rather than a job. As an arts educator for a parish-wide enrichment program,Ronkartz emphasizes the importance of art in education.
“The students come from all over the parish. I think I have 17 schools right now; it’s never been work, it’s always been a joy for me”, Ronkartz explains.
She began her teaching career in 1984 and retired in 2016. However, in 2017, she returned as a substitute teacher but paused her work during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, she resumed teaching, focusing on gifted and talented students.
“I always incorporated art in everything we studied because I always believed that if you do something with your hands, you’ll remember it better,” she states.
This fall Ronkartz was elected president of the Crowley Arts Association and has been actively involved with the gallery, volunteering every week.
Ronkartz’s passion for teaching extends beyond the classroom. “I love teaching others and helping them develop their talents because it makes them so happy,” she says.
However, her path to becoming an educator was not without challenges. Ronkartz’s mother wasn’t initially supportive of her interest in teaching. “I told my mother I wanted to teach English, and she said that if I was going to go to school to be a teacher, she wasn’t going to pay for it",she recalls.
Ronkartz’s father, a professor, influenced her mother’s concerns as she was worried that teaching would not provide financial stability.Ultimately, however, she had a change of heart.
Ronkartz says, “She finally realized you gotta do what makes you happy, not what makes more money. And I’ve told my own kids that: do what makes you happy”.
Outside of her teaching responsibilities, Ronkartz finds fulfillment in volunteering at the art gallery and sharing that passion with her students.
“It’s just the joy of my life being here. Whether you’re older or younger than your students, you learn from them,” she states.
