Guest article written by Amanda Austin, 5th grade teacher
Why I Teach
My decision to become an educator began during a service-learning course in my final year of college. I volunteered at a nearby elementary school located in a neighborhood struggling with poverty and violence. I spent time in a fifth-grade classroom and developed a lasting friendship with the teacher there. That experience changed how I viewed education and my role in it.
One afternoon a student asked me where I had attended college. When I told him I went to Louisiana State University—just a few minutes from that school—he seemed surprised. Many of the students in that classroom had never visited a college campus. Some believed that only white students attended LSU. Their view of the wider world was limited by their experiences and surroundings. Encountering children whose daily lives were shaped by poverty made me realize how powerful exposure and representation can be. These students were labeled “at-risk” by society, but I knew they needed role models and access to opportunities beyond their immediate community.
Over the past seven years I have had the privilege of teaching in both magnet and high-needs schools. I began my teaching career in a Title I elementary school in southwest Louisiana, working with students who faced economic hardship. I entered the classroom with an alternative teaching certification and an undergraduate degree in Sociology with a concentration in Criminology, but little formal training in curriculum design, pacing guides, or state standards.
Despite that, I knew something had to change if more children—especially African American boys and girls in my community—were not to be funneled into the criminal justice system. In my first year I encountered many challenges: parent absenteeism, gang influence, and limited exposure to life beyond gated housing developments. I wasn’t the most polished teacher in that first year, but I brought care, persistence, and a determination to help my students survive and thrive. My focus was on building trust, teaching essential academic and social skills, and helping students see possibilities beyond their immediate circumstances.
Teaching in high-needs classrooms taught me that academic success depends on more than lesson plans and assessments. It requires relationships, consistency, and opportunities to broaden students’ horizons—through books, conversations, community connections, and sustained encouragement. My classroom became a place where students could explore new ideas, gain confidence, and practice decision-making that leads to better outcomes. Each small victory—improved reading fluency, a math concept finally understood, a student choosing a positive path—reinforced why I continue to teach.
My commitment has not changed since that first volunteer experience. I still teach with the same purpose: to expose children to worlds beyond their neighborhoods, to provide guidance, and to model choices that open doors. I want my students to recognize their potential and to know there are many pathways to success. Teaching is how I contribute to that change.
About Me
I currently serve the children of the East Baton Rouge School System as a fifth-grade instructor at Mayfair Laboratory School. Over the last seven years I have taught students in a variety of settings, from at-risk communities to magnet schools. Those experiences have shaped my teaching philosophy and prepared me for the next step in my career—educational leadership.
My academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a concentration in Criminology and a minor in African and African American Studies. I hold an alternative teaching certification and a Master of Arts in Teaching Elementary Education, along with an endorsement in Educational Leadership. In December 2015 I completed a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Lamar University. My doctoral work focused on principal leadership behaviors that contributed to significant academic gains in a Title I school.
As I look ahead, I am eager to move into leadership roles where I can advocate for policies and practices that support equitable opportunities for students. My goal is to use my classroom experience and research background to help schools develop leaders, programs, and systems that enable every child—regardless of background—to succeed.