Leslie DesHotels, Teacher of the Year at Eunice Junior High, earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary English and Speech Education at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1993 and her Master of Education degree in Educational Technology via Northwestern University in 2005.
She credits her decision to become an educator to her own teachers who showed her that learning can be fun and that serving the community and helping others to reach their own lifelong goals is one of the most fulfilling purposes one can have in their lifetime.
She has spent the last 25 years of her teaching career in Allen, Evangeline, and Acadia Parishes teaching ninth through twelfth grade English, Speech and Drama classes, and the last seven of those years teaching eighth grade English Language Arts in St. Landry Parish. She considers herself extremely blessed to have a loving, supportive husband, family and friends, who inspires her to strive to be better each day. She also credits her mentors and colleagues for her growth in the field, as they too inspire her with their own resourcefulness and focus on life-long learning.
“Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” is her teaching philosophy. She says, “Building that rapport with students on a personal level is the foundation we need in order to understand that even students who struggle academically will try their best if they know we believe in them. Encouraging students to identify their strengths, set goals for themselves, and focus on education as a stepping-stone to a future career path have been among my greatest accomplishments during my career. Currently, involving the community by inviting a variety of speakers to come in one a week to promote a Christian lifestyle and reinforce positive mentality and behavior both in and out of school has been one of my favorite roles as advisor of our school’s Fellowship of Christian Students’ Program. This is important because the more we as teachers, parents and community work together to reach every child and maximize his/her potential, the greater our chances of creating productive citizens in our communities.”
Glendale Elementary Students of the Week for January 21-25, 2019.
Congratulations to all students on a job well done!
LEFT-TO-RIGHT: Kade L., Ja’Quan C., Kaleb M., Rhaylee O., Gabriel A., Analisia S., Drexler T., Harley M., Paisley C., Olivia J., Emerson W., Miles L., Gavin A., Colin F.
NOT PICTURED: Jaytee C.
Congratulations to all students on a job well done!
LEFT-TO-RIGHT: Kade L., Ja’Quan C., Kaleb M., Rhaylee O., Gabriel A., Analisia S., Drexler T., Harley M., Paisley C., Olivia J., Emerson W., Miles L., Gavin A., Colin F.
NOT PICTURED: Jaytee C.
