Spotlight On…

Jennifer Beaubouef

Shaila Bah, Staff Writer

Background

  • Taught at Allen Ellender school for her first two years of teaching
  • Taught at Salmen High School In Louisiana 

Education

  • Culinary school at Nicholls State University 
  • History degree in international studies from Southeastern Louisiana University
  • Graduate school classes for certification in teaching 

Responsibilities

  • Teaches marketing classes

Starr’s Mill welcomes marketing teacher Jennifer Beaubouef to the Panther family. Beaubouef moved to Georgia from Louisiana after teaching at Salmen High School in Louisiana. 

Beaubouef taught for two years at Allen Ellender School on the west bank of New Orleans. She taught world history, U.S. history, Louisiana history, and world geography there. She was the only teacher teaching social studies for grades 6-8 during her first two years of teaching. 

When she moved to teach high school at Salmen High School she taught a variety of subjects, including psychology, sociology, world geography, government, AP government, and digital media.

“[Teaching] changes every day,” Beaubouef said. “I get bored just as easily as students do, so the fact that personalities change, content changes, everything changes year to year and class to class, the ability to change and rethink for the students is fun.”

When asked about significant career influences Beaubouef explained how she was a bright kid with not a lot of guidance. She was homeless at 16, and if not for teachers who had practically “threatened” her across the stage, she would not have graduated. 

One of the reasons she started teaching was because one of those teachers many years later asked alumni to tutor seniors who were failing. After that, Beaubouef went back to school to pursue teaching. 

Beaubouef’s approach and philosophy to education are for teachers, especially high school teachers, to understand that students do not know everything. 

“We should celebrate wins, losses, failures, successes all equally because [teachers] are continually learning just as much as students are,” Beaubouef said. “We learn as much from [students] as [students] do from [teachers], and if you lose sight of that then it’s not worth it anymore.”

Outside of school, Beaubouef loves to cook, read, and travel the world by food. Beaubouef noted how she likes to go to old-style restaurants that are considered “hole-in-the-wall” restaurants.