Entry #19: Politics and tradition create
obstacles to involvement in the bayou

St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana -- As an eighth grade US History teacher, I used to tell my students that we need to know about the past in order to understand the present and prepare for the future. Well, the same can be said when looking at school, community and parental relationships.

We left the quickly changing landscape of Central Florida and now find ourselves in an area with relatively little growth. Being in the Southeastern corner of Louisiana, this area is known for fishing, oil and its multicultural heritage. Spain, France, Britain and Africa all had a part in settling this area named after a Catholic saint. There are even descendants here from the Canary Islands known as "Islenos." School districts are divided by parish here due to the church influence.

We are here in part because of an article in the New Orlean's Times-Picayune describing a group of parents, teachers and students that meet monthly at P.G.T. Beauregard Middle School to "plan activities, brainstorm on school policies and trade information about what is working and what isn't."

I have since found out that this group is a Collaborative Action Team, a plan initiated by Southwest Educational Development Laboratories based in Texas. SEDL is one of ten laboratories funded by the US Dept. of Education and has among its goals the enhancement of family and community involvement in education. They have been working with B.M.S. for three years and this is just the kind of thing I am looking for this year.

But while looking, I am also finding lots of obstacles to involvement. Two that seem to be working against Beauregard MS are politics and tradition. It seems that the government of this long, diverse Parish which begins near New Orleans and dead ends "down the road" in the waterways of the Mississippi Delta has been known to favor the more affluent areas closer to the city. In talking to some school and community folks, they feel that the school board has a tendency to focus on the "up the road" schools leaving the others with a little less in support services and resources.

We have also seen some very interesting homes in the area. Seattlites are not used to houses built on stilts, elevated due to the occasional flooding. The further "down the road" the higher the houses seem to be.

This is a school of 600+ with about 20 percent special ed. qualified and 80% free and reduced lunch. Many in the district and the parent community have a lower expectation of success for these kids than you will find in other parts of the parish and state. With few college graduates among the parent population, I have been told that many students in this end of the parish finish their formal education by the age of 16. Traditionally, kids have followed in the footsteps of relatives and found work in such areas as construction and fishing. But times have changed here as well and so should the educational goals.

One way of changing the attitudes in the community is by creating visible expectations.

All public schools in the Parish require uniforms. This is the first school we've visited with this requirement so we were not prepared. With our sons attending school here for the month, we had to visit the local K Mart store with the blue/brown slacks and white shirt. In this way, Beauregard mirrors the expensive, exclusive Catholic schools that draw many of the more privileged kids in the area. So far, our boys like not having to decide on what to wear. We'll see how they feel at the end of the month.

The school also has several state and federal programs aimed at helping those behind in reading and math -- some during school, some after. Principal Larry Cowen has been overseeing the move into a new building while trying to maintain order and discipline. Like other successful principals, he is here early and leaves late.

One very active parent, Debbie Coulon, who heads the Parent Teacher Community Association, told me she persuaded a family to move into the area with the selling point being attendance at Beauregard.

There is progress here, but with the upcoming state-mandated testing program (LEAP), the academic deficits are sure to be highlighted, especially at Beauregard. Students not passing the 4th and 8th grade test will not advance. As I have found in other communities, change often comes with adversity. While the LEAP system has many flaws, it may be just what is needed to stir things up and involve more parents, community and business leaders in collaboration. Time will tell.

Until later, Darrell (see Corrine's diary below)


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From Corrine's Diary:

We are in Bayou country. The best way to describe it is lots of stagnant waterways. We are in a State Park that's on the edge of a bayou and a stone's throw from the Mississippi.

In the summer there are alligators present. I have learned that winter is hibernation time for them. If they actually ate anything it would rot in their stomachs and kill them since they need heat to digest food. That's comforting to know and the snakes are also not out since its too cold for them. So we won't lose Cody to a snake bite.

You know, I pictured Louisiana to be a jungle type area, It's not really. There are armadilloes here though. Darrell was on his way to the restroom and he heard lots of rustling in the leaves, thinking, "Oh my what's that." There they were, lots of armadilloes looking for insects. Cute little buggers, but they still scare me at night since they sound rather large when you can't see in the dark.

We have arrived in St. Bernard Parish. The boys have jumped into school full-time. They were sick and tired of their parents and wanted a break. Slight draw back -- they needed uniforms, so we bought the khaki pants and white shirts. Doesn't really matter because they could always use them for church clothes when we move on. They were all excited the first day.

I was going to look for a part time job to earn a little money but we found something better. We are campground hosts here. I work 3-4 hours a day doing paperwork for the office and checking in campers. This way we get to stay for free. So that's just as good. Since the boys are in school full time and Darrell is helping in the classroom, it all works out.