Baton Rouge High School - Fricassee Yearbook (Baton Rouge, LA)

Page 27 text:

“ . . seeing an ‘idea strike’. . . ” is reward enough for teachers “The potential that is apparent in most of the students at BRHS makes it a challenge to do the best job one can do in order to have some part in seeing bright, talented young people develop, was the response from Mrs. Baker when she was asked, “What is the one thing that makes you glad you work at BRHS?” Mrs. Daly, another of the five teachers asked this question, replied, “There is really only one thing that makes any teacher satisfied with a school — the students. The enjoyment of working with young people everyday and the added thrill of actually seeing an ‘idea strike’ one of them cannot be duplicated.” Some of the other varied responses were: “1 get to meet fascinating people Where else could such a collection of people be brought together under one roof?” — Mr. Martin, and finally, a very different answer came from Mrs. Mattice. She said, “The windows that open. P.S. of course the terrific-kids help too.” Gt-iievd Bdker Jan Daly Mary Hamilton Andy Martin Jack! Mattie? The replies to the question, “If you could change one thing about your students, what would it be?,” were more varied than for any of the other questions asked. Although the answers were very different, they had one common bond — a concern for the students’ future’s. Mr. Dobbs responded to the question saying, “I would like the students to utilize their entire mind to think deeper, more logically, and more philosophically.” “If 1 could change anything about my students, I would try to change their attitudes. The reason for this is because some of the students react so negatively to certain things that are really of importance to them,” replied Mrs. Richard. Mr. Gerbrecht felt that he would like his students to have “better practice habits.” Finally, Coach Nee summed up the concern of all of the teachers who responded to this question by saying, “I would try to impress upon them the importance of planning for the future.” Ed Barnes John Dobbs Lee Fortier Teachers 23

Page 26 text:

When the three teachers who were once students at BRHS were asked what the most obvious change was in BRHS since their high school days, their answers varied widely. Mrs. Post had no difficulty in finding an answer. Her immediate response was blue jeans. The expanded curriculum in special areas.” was Mr. Helves-ton's response. He added that BRHS was the best school in the state then, and it still is.” The final response was from former student, Ms. deVries, who said that the lack of “ football, basketball, marching bands, pep rallies, cheerleaders, etc.,” was the most obvious change in the school. From the little desk in the back, to the big desk in the front 2o« Harrell Scott Kaplc Sylvia Marline “1 like the motivation and good study habits that most of the students have acquired.” -Gussie Parker 1 Throughout the year, many teachers chose to leave BRHS and pursue new careers. When this happened, new teachers had to be found to fill the newly-vacated positions. When the new teachers arrived, they were almost always the big gossip around campus. The most common questions asked among students about the teachers were: How do you like your new teacher?,” and “Is he gonna be hard?” But the Fricassee staff decided to turn the tables and see how the teachers felt about their new jobs. Their question was, “What do you like best about BRHS? Most of the responses had a common idea — the students and their motivation. Here are some of their responses: Mr. Kaple had an immediate answer to the question. He said, “I’m excited about the variety of learning opportunities available to students here.” Mrs. Harrell, Ms. McGinty, and Mrs. Watts, all felt that the students and faculty” were the best aspect of their new jobs. A very different reply came from Ms. Tuminello. When asked what she liked best about BRHS, she said, The buildings and grounds have alot of character.” After thinking for a second, she added. “The students are enthusiastic and motivated.” The responses from the remaining new teachers were on the same lines as those mentioned above, with the most popular response being the students and their motivation. EiWcn VcGnt Chute M rare L«ola MrtcWL Cum Pm'mi Ctwryl Tnmindb LeE-u'.« Witti Cant Wshin 22 Te«chers

Page 28 text:

“Why not teach others some of the skills which I had acquired?” -Geraldine Dyer Many have wondered what motivated a person to become a teacher. The Fricassee staff set out to discover the answer to this question from some of BRHS’s teachers. When Mrs. Schweitzer was asked, “What made you want to be a teacher?” she responded, “An interest in science and young people — the influence of two of my college teachers — one in zoology, the other in chemistry.” Mrs. Dyer gave a more in depth reply, “Becoming a teacher was not my first choice for a career. I’ve always loved working with numbers and had a very good background in that area. 1 really felt that working in industry would have been just great, but at the time of my completing high school and college, a black woman had no place in the industrial world.” She continued by saying, “Almost from the first year of teaching, I’ve enjoyed working with students. Sure, there have been some bad experiences, but the joy of seeing a face ‘light-up’ when one has worked on a difficult concept makes being a teacher delightful.” .spent I Audrey Burns Geraldine Dyer Loralne McDaniel Nancy Schweitzer Eleanor Thomas Marie Williams You know you’re a teacher when . . . ✓ Mary Smith This question gave some teachers a tough time, but two of them, Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Kennedy found their answers easily. Mrs. Smith completed the sentence this way; “. . . you realize you don’t have to be crazy to be a teacher, but it certainly does help.” The question evoked a different response from Mrs. Kennedy. She said, that she knew she was a teacher when, “ bleary-eyed and tired from grading compositions that should have been returned last week, you still feel good and gratified when a student responds to a new idea.” A few minutes to rest. before offers Mrs. Smith a moment 24 Teachers