It’s a celebration of another of our unsung heroes, one who knows that the students are what it’s all about.
Meet LEF teacher of the year finalist and Youngsville Middle School teacher, Katie Courville. She’s nominated this year in the inspirational teacher category, an honor that Courville says is the highest someone in her position can receive.
“It means a lot in my mind because it comes from the kids,” says Courville. “They are the reason I’m here every day, so being in this category means so much more.”
Courville has been a teacher at Youngsville Middle School for four years, the entirety of her teaching career. And to know that someone out there thought she was the perfect nominee for the inspirational teacher of the year award leaves her humbled.
“I can’t even put it into words. It’s amazing,” says Courville. “It’s reminded me why I’m here every day. It’s brought me back to my original outlook and my original goal of being a teacher.”
Courville says her inspirational mentors are her own teachers when she attended Lafayette High. Teachers like Mr. Keller and Ms. Gautier who she says provided guidance for her own career. It’s that guidance that Courville hopes she can pass on when a fellow instructor needs a reminder about why they matter.
The job of a teacher, according to Courville, is to mold and shape the young minds of Acadiana. She wants other teachers to hold on to that purpose.
“Spend time with them, have a conversation,” she says. “Stop thinking about test scores and just check in with the kids. Remember why you’re here.”
And Courville says that she has continued to follow that advice and the advice of other teachers who have come before her. She, like those deserving men and women, knows that even when teaching gets really tough and stressful, there is a reason she’s chosen to be an educator.
“It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”
