Faye Marie Faulk Burdin – Elementary Education & Special Education, May 1972

Faye Marie Faulk Burdin

Elementary Education – certification in Special Education

Graduated – May, 1972

            My college education actually began in 1963 and was to span over ten years before graduation during which time my name and life changed considerably. Upon graduating from St. Michael High School in Crowley, I attended my first summer session commuting on Mr. Chick’s un-air conditioned school bus from Crowley.  Every morning before class we would gather at the Student Union which was located on Cypress Lake, but closer to Hebrard Blvd. It was two slices of buttered toast and a cup of coffee since most of us didn’t eat before leaving Crowley. On to class and by noon we were our way back to Crowley.

The fall session found me in Huger-Baker rooming with two other girls, my cousins, Sandra and Linda Fowler. Linda was from Michigan and had grandparents living in Lafayette. Our room was very large and faced University Avenue. Our Mom’s brought a window fan for us to use as there was no air conditioning. House rules were very strict. We had a house mother who checked us in and out if we went out at night and we had to be in at a certain time. I can’t recall, but it seems as though 11:00 P.M. or midnight rings a bell. We met and became friends with many new people from all over the United States, other parts of Louisiana and one girl in particular from South America. Her name was Carmen Arango. Her boyfriend lived in New Orleans and one weekend she took us there to spend the weekend with her. For someone who had never been too far from home, especially without family, this was an adventure to be sure.

I suppose, however, that the most memorable day of that semester was sitting in Dupre Library and hearing that President Kennedy had been shot. We all headed back for the dorm. There was an eerie silence  on campus. Huger-Baker girls met downstairs in the lobby and prayed the rosary.  It was a sad day.

Spring brought a radical change as I did something I had always said I would do. I entered the Convent of the Most Holy Sacrament right down the street on St. Mary Boulevard to become a nun. From 1964 to 1971 my education consisted of night classes, Saturday classes, summer school, school at the Motherhouse on St. Mary and even one correspondence course. At the same time, I was already in the classroom teaching elementary school students as sisters were allowed to teach without a degree as long as they were actively working on a  college degree. In August of 1971 I left the Most Holy Sacrament Community and was to do my student teaching with Mrs. Coussan at Lafayette Middle School. At the last minute, however, Dr. Coussan replaced Dr. Green, and those of us who had been at the University since 1963 and had at least five years of teaching experience were exempt from student teaching. We did have to take an additional six hours of education classes in lieu of the student teaching, but none of us who qualified minded because we had begged for this all along and always got a resounding  NO!   I would say that Dr. Coussan was probably the most popular person around Maxim Doucet Hall at the time.

Many of my teachers over the years were good and caring people.  They were a few, however, who I want to acknowledge as perhaps having the greatest influence on various aspects of my life.  They are Mrs. Gladys Robinette, Dr. Robert Ducharme, Dr. Juanita Cox, Dr. Fred Brown, Dr. Fran Zink, and Dr. Jeanette Parker.  Many people help shape our lives and these people helped with mine.  I went on to complete my course work for my master’s Degree in Elementary Education with certifications in Supervision and Administration. I was by this time teaching fulltime at J.W. Faulk and now had student teachers and para-professionals coming to my classroom to work with me. I considered this a great honor because it meant that I was doing something good as was viewed by those people I had admired over the years. My name changed during this time. I went from Faye Marie Faulk to Faye Marie Monique Faulk. I had chosen Monique as my name in religious life and had it legally made part of my name….so on my Masters diploma my name reads Faye Monique Faulk. That took place in December of 1975.

My teaching career spanned over 17 years…6years teaching in the Most Holy Sacrament schools and 11 teaching at J.W. Faulk Elementary School where I taught Special Education. In 1979 I married  J.J. Burdin, Jr. and my named changed again. I became wife and stepmom, all at one time, and in 1983 we adopted a 5 day old baby. I completed a year of teaching and then resigned to stay at home with our baby. I have since then been an active volunteer for various organizations and still maintain the position of Parish Director for Special Olympics in Lafayette to this date. This has kept me involved with children and the school system, which I continue to enjoy. I believed at the beginning of my career and continue to believe today that teachers have the capacity to touch children’s lives in a way that no one else can. I still communicate with many of the children I have taught over the years, and I hope that in my own small way  I, too, may have made a difference in some of their lives.

Respectfully submitted by:

Monique Faulk Burdin