Relay New Orleans Resident Spotlight: Paris Lovette

What inspires you to do the work that you do?
I HATED Math and Science as a kid. I didn’t understand what I was doing or why I was doing it. Connections weren’t clear for me and I don’t want this for the kids I work with. I aim to help them see the worthwhile in the work they do and it’s encouraging each and every day when they are able to see how one concept is related to the next. Science is real for them in a way that it wasn’t real for me, and I’m constantly inspired by how they are able to see the connections in their everyday livesand their dedication to workhard each day. This makes me push myself even harder to be better for them.

How has Relay helped you to become a more impactful teacher?
Relay gave me the fundamentals that greatly impacted my first year Lead teaching. The progression of the curriculum allowed me to see what I needed to focus on right away (management), so that I could exert more energy on my content and feedback to students. The relationships that I built through Relay are still there with my professor (now Dean), and classmates. We are a network of positive support for each other.

What do you love about teaching in New Orleans?
The people are definitely my favorite thing about New Orleans. I’ve been out of the country a lot and I always speak to how a lot of countries have such a community feel that I wish I saw ALL the time in the U.S. New Orleans is definitely like this: community oriented. Especially where I teach in Central City, I love the people around my workplace and how they’re fiercely protective of our kids andstaff. The parents are key to success and without them, I wouldn’t have a community within my classroom.

Tell us one word that you would use to describe your students. What inspires or resonates with you about them the most?
One word that I would use to describe my studentsis accepting.My kiddos are truly one of a kind weird. They’re loving and accepting of each other and me. They know that Ms. Lovette is not the only source of knowledge within the classroom and they can look towards one another for help, laughs, support, and hugs. We have built a little family within our four walls and I consistently wake up in the morning ready to see them, oozing with excitement/anticipation of how our day is going to go, wondering who is going to make a breakthrough, and how we’re going to help one another reach that breakthrough.