By Holly Penta

For Rodney Meziere, teaching isn’t just a profession, it’s a passion. He teaches English, Language, Arts (ELA) and Social Studies at East Natchitoches Middle School and has been teaching for 8 years. To him, the hardest part of teaching is the idea of failing to reach every student. His students will resist learning if given the chance and he thinks that they want to learn.

“Most just don’t know it,” he said. “Most students don’t see the value of education until they are pushed beyond predetermined limits and given a reason to truly believe in themselves.”

Each student will learn differently and Rodney knows the importance of meeting each child’s individual needs. When students’ initial resistance is overcome and the students reach their full potential, it’s incredibly rewarding. Once they’ve reached this point, the results are priceless. Some of his favorite memories of teaching are when successful students come to thank him after finishing his class.

Rodney’s teaching philosophy is simple. He lives by the rule of “leave no student behind.” He believes that giving all children a meaningful education is his duty not just his job. He feels it’s also society’s duty. He spends each school day not only teaching the kids academics but also life skills, knowing that as students grow up, they will become the ones responsible for creating the laws that will govern society.

“I hope we take care of our children today, so they can take care of us tomorrow,” said Rodney. “I know that with my influence each student will be better prepared for life at the end of the school year than they were the first time they walked into my classroom.”

***NPJ made several attempts to request a photo to accompany this article. No photo was provided.***

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