Teacher Feature on Catrina Crowe
By April Clark Honaker
Catrina Crowe is in her eighth year of teaching in Lincoln Parish. She is currently teaching fifth grade social studies and English language arts (ELA) at Cypress Springs Elementary. Crowe, who majored in history and music at Louisiana Tech University, said teaching kind of fell into her lap.
After graduating, she traveled a little and was trying to decide what to do next.
“I was still undecided,” she said, “and teaching just seemed to fit with everything, so I thought, ‘Let’s give it a shot.’” While teaching fourth grade in Jackson Parish, Crowe got certified through Grambling State University’s alternative teaching certification program.
Crowe has continued to teach because she loves it. “I love the excitement,” she said. Every group of students is different, which Crowe said allows her to continue being creative.
Crowe also loves connecting with her students and their parents. “It’s that village mindset,” she said, “that it does take a village.” Crowe wants her students’ parents to know that they’re in it together.
Crowe’s favorite thing about teaching is when it finally clicks for the student. “You try so many things,” she said, “and sometimes you’re so outside the box or outside the script. You’re trying everything, so when it finally clicks, you get excited–at least I get excited.”
Although there is much to love in teaching, there are challenges too. Crowe said the biggest challenge for her personally has been leaving things in the classroom and turning her teaching brain off when she goes home. “My brain is always in teacher mode,” she said, but sometimes she has to remind herself to just be a wife and a mom.
She hopes that as the field of teaching continues to change, she is able to embrace that change. “I hope to be in a place where I can still be creative,” she said. “I hope that I’m always able to connect with them and be on top of their interests.
Crowe especially enjoys teaching the different texts in ELA. She strives to make the experience an immersive one for her students and has been known to read some of her texts with a British accent in class. “I love that you can kind of become the characters,” she said. It’s also great when the students decide to join in and they’re picking up the accent.
In social studies, Crowe said she likes to see students develop and awareness of where the country has come from and where it’s going.
“We open that Pandora’s box of questions,” she said. “I’m just unlocking those avenues in their brains to continue questioning things because asking questions is a good thing.”
With every student, Crowe’s goal is “to actively move them forward on their educational journey.”
