LAFAYETTE PARISH — Kalif Cormier, a second-grade English Language Arts teacher at SJ Montgomery Elementary School, is using his experiences to inspire his students.
“I’ve been blessed to have a lot of teachers inside and outside of the classroom that have given me a lot of tools, and I just want to go to places where I know those tools are needed,”Cormier explains.
He emphasizes transparency in his teaching style, Cormier says, “I personally value walking around with my toolbox open. This is everything I have to offer, and I think that if I could communicate to these kids to do the same, then that’s it.”
Cormier’s toolbox extends beyond traditional teaching methods, with a background in photography, he traveled across the country, capturing people’s stories, and realized that those experiences could help him connect with his students.
“I know that some of the kids I teach have never even been out of Lafayette, so there are so many things where I realize I have all this and I have to be able to give it away.”
One of the ways Cormier gives back is through his work at local thrift shop, Retreaux. He uses his thrifted finds to shape his teaching approach, stating, “I’m taking something that someone else has decided isn’t worth it, it’s over with, and I’m giving it new life and new meaning. I believe in that; that’s why our motto in class is ‘oath to growth.’” Cormier states.
He hopes to follow his students as they grow, in hopes of building a long-term connection, “I want to be able to catch someone at the beginning of their journey so that I can say, ‘I believed that you were capable of doing this in second grade, so here I am still talking to you in fourth, fifth, sixth throughout high school and college, and here I am, and you can look back and say this person has believed in me the whole way.’” Cormier shares.
