Many of the educators who drove the incredible academic progress after Hurricane Katrina had been teaching in our schools before the storm. Others were new to this work or this district. In each issue of our series leading up to the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we’ll honor the work of these dedicated teachers by sharing their voices. Today, we link to four blog posts we’ve published in recent years—celebrating two educators who have been in schools since before Hurricane Katrina, and two who entered the profession after the storm.

Cheryl Jeff-Treaudo had been teaching for about a quarter-century when she wrote “Teaching to Impact the City I Love: A Network of Support for our Children” as a kindergarten teacher at Firstline’s Samuel J. Green Charter School in 2018. Ms. Jeff-Treaudo was a winner of the New Orleans Excellence in Teaching Award in 2017. 

“As an educator in this city, I recognize that we are all connected. From our network, to our neighboring schools, to the other teachers and school staff across the city, to our families, we are all here to show up for students. Our goal is to educate them, protect them and prepare them for the world ahead. For twenty-four years, it has been my privilege to do so, and I am grateful to continue each day.”

Frank Daggs, Head Football Coach at McDonogh 35, wrote “My Day Never Stops” for NSNO’s blog and The Gambit in 2020. He wrote:

“My mom and dad were both educators for over forty years. My mother taught in Jefferson Parish, and my father here in Orleans Parish. My sister is in education, too. I am the Head Coach of both football and girls’ track at McDonogh 35, and really and truly, my job is about academics first. Everything is about academics… I can’t pinpoint one single moment where I knew, ‘this is the right job for me.’ But, getting to know students when they first arrive at 35 and then watching them become men and women, get scholarships to go to college for free, and earn their college degrees? That is a thrill.”

Ingrid Rachal, a 2018 New Orleans Excellence in Teaching Award Winner, wrote “Teaching through Theater: Letting Literature Come to Life” as a 8th Grade English Language Arts teacher at Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary Charter School in 2018. She told us: 

“After the storm, I decided I wanted a new beginning. I began a career in education as a substitute teacher. I stepped in as an ELA teacher at schools across New Orleans, working with grades 6 to 8. I knew the moment I began that this was the path for me…The first day I taught, it was as if a light switch had turned on: teaching was my life’s work, and my passion was working with children…. English Language Arts is not just the reading, writing, and the speaking that we do in class. It is about being able to go out into the world and sit at any table, join any conversation and be productive citizens. I feel this is critical; the future of our community and our nation lies in my students’ hands.”

Dominique Pollard had been studying elementary education at Southern University of New Orleans (SUNO) when Hurricane Katrina hit. She was also a member of the Louisiana Army National Guard, and she left school to help with the response. In the years after the storm, she earned her college degree, a teaching certification, and a master’s degree in education. In 2022, when she was the Scholar Support Coordinator at Élan Academy, we featured her in a profile on our blog. She told us how she encourages her students:

“My favorite thing to tell them is, you know, if plan A doesn’t work, good thing that the alphabet has 25 more letters. Keep trying again until you get it right. It’s not going to be easy. It will take some time and effort. We’re going to get it done together.”