Service, prayer, joyful learning key components in teacher’s toolkit

Above: St. Charles Borromeo’s Lisa Benoit is a big believer in lifelong learning. This past summer, she taught herself how to paint. (Photo courtesy of the Benoit family)

Kids’ Clarion asked Lisa Gautreaux Benoit – the middle school coordinator and sixth and seventh grade religion teacher at St. Charles Borromeo (SCB) – to reflect on her 34 years at the Destrehan school.

Why did you decide to become a teacher?

I have criminal justice and paralegal degrees. I worked for five years as a paralegal before heading back to school to earn my education degree. I just found other careers didn’t feed my soul.

Who is your teaching role model?

I’ve had many! The late Joyce Faucheaux, who taught at SCB for 49 years, was the principal when I was thinking about going back to school for education. She was also my third-grade teacher at SCB. She was a very strict teacher, but very good at what she did and very religious. When I was considering becoming a teacher, I went to see her. She told me, in her strict little way, that of course I could do it. She told me all you’ve got to do is put yourself in God’s hands and work hard. I knew right then that I would be returning to SCB to work with her as a colleague.

Why do you love teaching at a Catholic school?

I wanted to share my heart with others and make the pursuit of education a lifelong adventure. I have always wanted to specifically teach at SCB.

Have you ever worked at a non-Catholic school? If so, how did that experience differ from your current teaching position?

I did my student teaching in the St. Charles Parish public school system and was offered a job. At the end of my time as a student teacher, I told the principal that I would have loved to have taught for her, but my goal was to take the kids to church. I didn’t think that would be possible in her school, so I had to turn down that job. I immediately went to SCB, where I was hired – and the rest is history!

What are your favorite on-the-job recollections?

There have been so many wonderful memories and amazing souls! Every fall for the past 23 years we have traveled to the New England states with some of our middle school students for history field trips. In the spring, our seventh graders go to Disney World. These trips have taught the kids a lot about themselves, our country and what it means to be a Christian living in God’s world. One year, we received a grant to make a historical movie which we made over the span of the school year. We also established a street ministry, which we’ve done for many years, serving the homeless of New Orleans. Our street ministry was something that went away because of the pandemic, so I’m very excited that we were able to bring it back last year. It’s always a little bit scary to do God’s work out in the real world, but this is what the Lord calls us to, and he has always given us his guidance and protection. 

What are some challenging aspects of teaching?

I’ve always had a fair amount of ADD, so being bored in a classroom is torture for me. We always find something fun to do and somewhere fun to go. I’ve always kind of thought of my students as smaller colleagues. We’re known for showing up at somebody else’s classroom to sing random songs, just to break up their day. Some of the best lessons I have learned have been because God gifted me with childish silliness to share with my students, along with all the objectives and lessons I have to teach.

How does prayer fortify you and your students?

We pray constantly in my classroom. We say a lot of prayers to St. Gertrude for her intercession, with a goal of getting over 1 million souls out of Purgatory every year. We say the Angelus every day at noon and the Prayer to St. Michael to protect us and our families from all the evil in this world. Rosaries are said and drawn monthly to include in spiritual bouquets that are sent out by the school for various occasions.

Do you have a hobby or skill your students might not know about? How did you spend your summer?

I received a marksmanship award when I was in college! Summers are always kind of hard for me because I get bored pretty quickly. I usually have some sort of a theme and stick to it. When “Summer Camp” was my theme, I went to Swamp School, which I absolutely loved, and a “Past Times” camp that explored Louisiana history and culture from the time of our state’s earliest Native American inhabitants through the Civil War. I’ve spent many summer nights at swim meets and baseball diamonds. Wherever the kids are, that’s where you’ll find me. I have painted my own house so many times over the summer, the square footage has actually gotten smaller on the inside! This summer, instead of painting the house, I taught myself how to paint on canvas and I am really enjoying it! My other big hobby is my pets. I’ve had many at school – a class bunny and a class bird that would sit on my shoulder. At home, I’ve always had cats, dogs and birds. When Freckles – my late brother’s police dog – died, I got a rescued Golden Doodle named Moe who is in training to become a therapy dog. He keeps me young and active. Now that I’m getting a little older and have my own grandchildren, I find my own activities.

Any parting thoughts on the joys of teaching?

My family has been a part of SCB since its inception – there has been a member of my family in that school for almost 100 years. I’ve always said that I have no plans to retire. Why would you retire from something you love doing every day? I’ve always worked with pastors and principals who have had faith in me and have allowed me to live out my dreams for and with the kids – at festivals, fairs, retreats, slumber parties and community-building events with our church family. For many years, I had no children of my own, and so my students became my “kids.” That aspect has never really left my life. Once I had my own children, they often had to share me with whomever I was tutoring or keeping after school for detention. Occasionally, one or two kids would come to my house in the afternoon. I would give them dinner until their parents could pick them up. Eating dinner at my house is probably a bigger punishment than staying after school!

– Interviewed by Beth Donze