Brenda Hebert: Students are the foundation of the community

Published 9:22 am Friday, December 19, 2025

As a student and young adult, Brenda Hebert did not consider becoming an education professional. It wasn’t until she was older that she realized she wanted to work with students who have special needs.

Her life’s passion began at J.I. Watson, where she took on the role of substitute teacher in October 2008. One of the first students she worked with was a child who used a wheelchair. Her experience with him opened Hebert’s eyes to her purpose.

“He was so eager to learn and gain more knowledge, and by the end of the year, he could read,” she recalled.

Hebert is a Lake Charles native who graduated from Welsh High School. From a young age, she was taught the importance of taking her education seriously.

“My parents always told me that I went to school to learn, and the teachers were not there to babysit,” she said. “I knew that I had better behave and get the best grades that I was capable of in school.”

After grade school, she attended Lamar University in Beaumont where she earned a Bachelor of Science in communication disorders.

Her entire career has been spent at J.I. Watson.

“If the good Lord is willing, I will retire from there.”

Hebert worked as a paraprofessional for the first 14 years. She has spent the last four as a special education resource teacher.

Currently, she works with third and fifth-grade students in math and ELA resource classes.

Upper elementary students are her favorite grade levels to work with because the students are more independent and she enjoys special education because she can work one-on-one with them.

At the beginning of the school year, each and every student is told that they will be treated like they are like her own children.

Through this act, her students are reassured that they are safe to learn and grow with Hebert.

“I want them to feel comfortable enough to come to me with any problems they may be having at school or if they just want to talk,” she said. “They get upset with me at times, but get over it just like my own children. And at the end of the day, I still get hugs!”

Their learning environment is four things: respectful, loving, caring and encouraging.

“It is important to let them know they can come to you and talk to you because, as a teacher, you never know what they are going through at home. … They just need someone to talk to and need to be heard.”

The most fulfilling part of her job is when students develop a new skill, especially when it is a concept they have struggled with.

“Most of the time, a student will say ‘I finally did it’ and smile, which helps build their self-confidence,” she said.

This is vital, as she believes it is her role to help her students become independent and individual adults.

Because of this importance, she implores every teacher to remember that their students are the foundation of the community.

“Love every child, no matter what. (You) Want to make a meaningful impact on their lives because they are the future of the world. Start each day as a new one, most importantly, when times get hard, and you think you cannot go on … just breathe!”