Listen

Watch

Can you tell us about yourself? 

"Hi, my name is Star Higginbotham. I am a teacher at Bunkie High School in Bunkie, LA where I have spent 15 of my 17s and I am very proud to be a panther." 

Why did you start a career in education?

"I started a career in education because I wanted to inspire my students the way I had many teachers inspire me and I absolutely love my subject material. So, being able to be involved with that all the time is a big bonus." 

If you could have any other job what would it be and why?

"If I could have any other job and not be a teacher, I would work for the American Cancer Society because I absolutely hate cancer and I have watched it take so many people that I love away from me. I participate in Relay for Life yearly. I do a lot of fundraising and I am just a big supporter of the American Cancer Society. So, working for them would be pretty awesome if I was not a teacher." 

How are kids and teaching different now than 30 years ago?

"Kids are very different from 30 years ago today because we live in an age of technological advance, smart devices, social media, instant information and gratification. So, we did not have 30 years ago so as a teacher and as a student 30 years ago, you had to rely more heavily on books than you did computers. So, that's one big change that's happened in the last 30 years."

What would you tell someone who wants to become a teacher?

"If I could tell someone right now that was thinking about becoming a teacher, anything that would stick, I would tell them to expect the unexpected, that there are changes always coming at us in our field and I would also try to dispel some of the myths that come with being a teacher; like you really don't get the whole summer off. It's a nice idea but you probably should plan to spend time workshops, conventions, retreats, meetings, and doing a lot of planning for the upcoming year."

What is one thing you would change to help kids learn better?

"One thing I would change to help children learn better, I would take a lot focus off of those standardized tests. We don't teach standardized children, so standardized lessons and standardized testing would be something that I definitely take the focus off of. Bye!"