Nanette Longchamp
Nanette Longchamp stands by her classroom door every morning, greeting her second graders in different languages at Rosemarie Rivera Elementary School. The latest addition to this morning ritual is "Sak passé," a French Creole version of "What's happening?"
Longchamp recently read a book to her class about Trombone Shorty, a young New Orleans jazz musician. "Now they added a morning greeting to me that Trombone Shorty used with his friend: 'Where y'at, Ms. Longchamp?' They immediately picked up on it and when we are singing, they use imaginary trombones," she says, adding that it makes her laugh. "Isn't that the way of love?"
Her love of teaching is contagious. "When you see how enthusiastic kids are about learning, it's amazing. I just wish we had more people going into teaching in Arizona," Longchamp says. With the present teacher shortage in the state, she understands that "it is about money."
Born in Haiti, Longchamp speaks French, French Creole, English and is working on Spanish. Her family moved to Brooklyn when she was 10. Longchamp is constantly trying to raise the sights of all of her students. "The most important thing I bring to the classroom is a positive attitude. I tell them it's okay to be wrong. In medicine, in law, we're always evolving and learning."
Taking that sentiment to heart in her 40s, while working in Internet communications, she pursued a post baccalaureate in education at the UA. Longchamp's interest in becoming a teacher began as a volunteer in her son Isaac's (now 17) kindergarten and first grade classrooms at Sam Hughes Elementary School.
"I loved watching the interaction between the teachers and kids. 'I can do that,'" she thought. At that time, "I was also writing stories about Haiti, going through a period of trying to fall back in love" with her birthplace.
Longchamp started teaching at Rivera Elementary in 2011, and has since taken to heart what one of her professors had advised, "It's not about giving kids what they deserve or what is fair, but making sure they get what they need." It worked for her. She was voted 2014-15 Star Teacher of the Year by Rivera teachers and staff.
In her classroom, students do a lot of writing. To model journal writing, Longchamp reads aloud her entries to students. "We don't tell family secrets," she quips, recalling her excitement as a child discovering details of a teacher's life.
Encouraging her students to think about their futures is high on her list. "I lecture them every week. Second grade is the foundation of the upper grades, for all later learning. I talk to them about college," she says, "telling them it's a great idea to be first in their families if no one ever went before."
At the beginning of the school year, when students arrive in her classroom, Longchamp begins her mode of instilling confidence.
Rivera Elementary is a Ben's Bells Kind Campus School, which fits her teaching philosophy. "I come into the classroom ready to teach. They come in ready to learn," she affirms, which supports an environment of mutual respect and compassionate behavior.
Longchamp advocates not only for her students but also for her fellow teachers, encouraging them to join the Sunnyside Educational Association. She's been the site representative at Rivera since 2014.
Within the community, there's often "a total disconnect between the perception of teachers' salaries and contracts, which aren't for 12 months but are for nine months," notes Longchamp. During the summer, teachers are often taking classes on their own dime, preparing lessons, and getting ready for the next school year.
"I've never met a teacher who doesn't love the profession. It's too bad the public and the politicians don't support us more," she says. "Teaching is absolutely a labor of love. How many times a day can you laugh inside because of what second graders say? I can't tell you the amount of joy I get."
—Sheila Wilensky
