As an ACE teacher, I have received tremendous opportunities. I was placed in Pascagoula, Mississippi in August 2005 to teach second grade at St. Peter the Apostle School. We had three weeks of school before Hurricane Katrina hit and our school was destroyed in the storm. We spent seven weeks cleaning up before we started school with Resurrection Catholic School, at their campus. Since then, our schools have been permanently combined.
In February 2007, Laura Bush came down to the Gulf Coast to see what was happening in the schools. She wanted to know the state of the schools and learn about our needs. I was invited to have lunch with the First Lady, Congressman Gene Taylor and 8 other representatives from schools along the Gulf Coast.
After a principal from another Catholic school told Mrs. Bush that his greatest need was good teachers, she turned to me and asked about the ACE program. I was able to tell her that we learn the current best practices for a Masters in Education, while gaining experience in the classroom. This all takes place with the many layers of support built into the program through our faculty, pastoral staff, principals, mentor teachers and the community in which we live.
Mrs. Bush was a very nice woman and she related well to the people of the Gulf Coast. She wanted to hear their stories. She wanted to hear about the schools. She wanted to hear about the children. Each of the principals presented their enrollment numbers and other statistics. I spoke about what I see as the real need in the schools – the need to care for the children.
The children in this area are hurting. When they lost their homes and their schools, they lost their worlds. Although these equal out to “material things,” children have not yet developed the coping skills of adults. As a result of Hurricane Katrina, children lost their sense of security. They do not understand what they are feeling or why they are feeling a certain way. They are scared. When it storms during the school day, we gather on the rug and talk about why we are safe. One of my students asked, “Miss Stowe, when is the water going to come through the windows?” I could not look him in the eye and tell him it was not going to, as I know he has already experienced this at seven years old.
When the First Lady asked what I thought we could do about this, I told her that the children need opportunities to think about and share their feelings. Our class incorporates our Katrina experiences into units that we learn. The children write journals and then share them. It is important for children to be given opportunities to think about their feelings. It is extremely important for children to know that it is okay to feel the way they do and that they are not alone because others feel the same. My students made a “Katrina Book” at the beginning of the year with each of their experiences. We made another edition for Mrs. Bush, so we were able to share our stories with the First Lady.
I feel honored to have been invited to lunch with the First Lady. I feel honored to have been able to represent my school. I feel honored to be able to speak for the children. I feel honored to be a part of the ACE program.