BESE president addresses LCU education students
Louisiana Christian University education students got some great advice – and some gratitude—for their career choice from the state president of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Educators this week.
Dr. Holly Boffy, BESE president, and principal of W.D. & Mary Baker Smith Career Center in Lafayette, visited with dozens of LCU teachers in training Tuesday evening and offered insights from her own career path to help guide their own.
“There is not anything more important that we can do than education,” Boffy said, thanking them all for choosing a career as teachers. “It’s an incredible field. You guys will have every day to sow seeds and spread light.”
Boffy also spoke to the students on the importance of faith in their journey, and how it took her years to realize just how much she has come to rely on it. She encouraged them not to wait—but to read the Bible and devotionals aimed at the role of an educator and find an accountability partner.
She said there are more than 1200 classrooms in Louisiana right now that don’t have teachers. That’s 30,000 students without a teacher.
“People don’t understand the magnitude of the problem because it’s spread across the state,” Boffy said. “But what if every one of those classrooms was filled with a Christian?”
Boffy said her position as BESE president has allowed her the time and opportunity to go to churches around the state and talk about the importance of educators and encourage people looking for a career or a career change to consider education because it allows you to make a difference every single day in the lives of students.
LCU students found Boffy’s advice uplifting and encouraging.
Hannah Miller, a junior secondary math education major from Iowa, Louisiana, said she has wanted to be a teacher since third grade and was excited and inspired by Boffy.
Jada Poole, a junior elementary education major from Vidalia, said she was interested in hearing some of Boffy’s ideas on creating and facilitating good learning environments for children.
“Having Dr. Boffy speak to the undergraduate students was a very encouraging and uplifting experience,” said Victory Lindo-Lemons, assistant professor of education. “She shared her heart on the legacy that educators can leave on children’s lives. Our students were able to see a holistic picture of the educational system through Dr. Boffy’s life experiences through being a teacher, principal, educator advocate and BESE president. Dr. Boffy exposed our students to the possibilities that one can accomplish through the educational field.”
For more information on LCU Teacher Education programs, email education@lcuniversity.edu or call 318-487-7303.
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Media Release | April 27, 2023 | Pineville, Louisiana
Contact: Dr. Elizabeth B. Clarke, Director of University Communications | Elizabeth.clarke@lcuniversity.edu