I arrived yesterday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for a four day teacher job fair. The job fairs are occurring at LSU, ULL and Southern University. Later in the week we head to New Orleans for the final job fair. I am looking forward to seeing with my own eyes what the current rebuilding state is in New Orleans. I think we often forget how much damage was caused by the storm and the number of students, families and schools that have been affected.
In the past two days we have been fortunate enough to interview some highly qualified diverse candidates. What was initially surprising to me was the amount of other school districts who are also looking for the same type of highly qualified diverse teacher. Many of the Louisiana school districts face the same issues we in New York and other urban districts face, the lack of teachers who reflect the population we serve. I strongly believe that the minority population is only going to grow exponentially in this country and all school districts urban, suburban and rural. All school districts will begin to face the issue of finding teachers who reflect their students' ethnicity and culture.
One new thing that I have learned so far during my current trip is that school districts in Louisiana are called Parish's. This is directly related to the community having roots based from the French Government. When I hear "parish" I immediately go back to my Catholic roots.
I wonder how students back in New York would feel if their districts where now called parishes. Rochester City School Parish... hmm I don't know, I think it sounds a bit more sophisticated than district.
I look forward to the rest of the week. The food so far has been very enjoyable, especially if you enjoy seafood and Cajun. I will continue to post throughout the week please feel free to comment or email me.
Living the Dream!!
Anibal
http://www.anibalsoler.com
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