Stout named Beauregard Parish High School and
DHS Teacher of the Year
“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.”
This Marian Wright Edelman quote encapsulates Angela Stout’s philosophy of teaching. Stout, an English teacher at DeRidder High School, believes that her impact begins in the classroom but reaches into the lives of her students.
“My priority, first, last, and always, is the student,” she explained. “Through my teaching and through my involvement in extra-curricular activities, I try to make sure that my students have what they need to succeed not only academically but in life.”
She works hard to develop a relationship with her students based on trust. She believes that when students learn to trust that their teacher has their best interest at heart, then they can open up and give their best.
At the end of every lesson, Stout asks her students, “Is that crystal clear or clear as mud?” She wants to know how to proceed from the lesson – whether to revisit ideas and concepts or to move forward. Her students’ answers to this question guide her decisions for the next lesson.
The most important need in her classroom is support from parents, administrators, and coworkers. She believes that a strong support system helps ensure success for her students.
“It really does take a village to raise a child,” she explains, “and it takes all of the adults in a student’s life working together toward the same goals to provide the best possible education for that child.”
Stout is the 2020-2021 Beauregard Parish High School Teacher of the Year and the DeRidder High School Teacher of the Year.
She has been teaching for seventeen years and has been at DHS teaching ninth grade English for the past seven years. She taught Business at Reeves High School and Newton ISD before joining the faculty at DeRidder High School.
“I began my career in education as a substitute teacher,” she said. “If you can love substitute teaching, you are meant to be a teacher. I loved working with the students so much that I decided to get my teaching certificate and make this my career.”
She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Education from McNeese State University. She is also the proud mother to twins, Jason Stout and Jordan Stout, and began working on her degree when they were in elementary school.
She holds a Louisiana teaching certification in Secondary Education with a concentration in Business. She is also a Level 1 Google Certified Educator and has earned certifications in Operating Systems, Blackboard, and Google IT Support.
She is the English Department Head at DHS. In addition, she serves as the school Webmaster, the Technology Facilitator, and the Google Facilitator at the school. She has also been the Student Council Advisor at the school for the past six years.
“I believe in being involved where I am needed at a school because if the system runs smoothly, it provides more opportunities for student success,” she explained.
Her advice to new teachers is to stay focused on the needs of the students. Teaching has its struggles, curriculums come and go, the workload can be overwhelming at times, but the needs of the students must always be the top priority.
Her favorite thing about teaching is when former students come back and say, “Thank you for everything you did for me. It meant a lot.” For her, making an impact that outlasts the classroom is what teaching is all about.
“I teach in the hopes of making a positive difference in the lives of my students,” she concluded. “It is not always an easy job, and sometimes, the struggles seem to outweigh the rewards, but when you touch the life of a child in a positive way, you have made a difference.”
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