When Christina Haugen was a child, she knew two things: she wanted to join the Air Force and she wanted to be a teacher.

Her dad was in the Army. She was born in Germany and attended the Department of Defense Dependent School. Throughout her grade school education, she  attended seven schools in Germany, Kentucky, Texas and Louisiana. She moved to DeRidder in the ninth grade.

After graduating, she served for 10 years in the Air Force, and earned an associate degree of applied science from the Community College of the Air Force in Montgomery, Ala. Following her service, Haugen decided to pursue her other dream.

With a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from McNeese State University in her toolbox, she began teaching at  K.R. Hanchey Elementary.

She has taught there for 25 years now. Every day, she gets to share the joy of learning with the youth.

“There are so many interesting things in our world, and I want our children to be curious about those things.”

Haugen loves teaching first grade because of the long strides her students make over the year. She said first-graders are not only eager learners, but are noticeably more advanced (especially in literacy) at the end of the school year.

“Most first-graders come to school in August as beginning readers,” she explained. “When they leave in May, they are independent readers. They are so proud of themselves for being able to read. I love knowing that I played an important part of them becoming readers.”

She leads with love and keeps her students’ needs in mind, resulting in an environment where they feel safe.

“For some students, school is their only chance to escape whatever is going on at home,” Haugen said. “I can’t control what happens at home, but I can control what happens in the classroom.”

Haugen believes every child can learn, but each child has to know their educator cares if they succeed.

“Students do not care how much you know until they know how much you care,” she explained. “I show I care by developing relationships with my students, teaching them to believe in themselves and encouraging them to always do their personal best.”

Well-educated students are crucial components of the community, she said, and education is the key to unlocking that potential.

“They are the future and can make the world a better place. … Nurses, pilots, firemen, fast food workers and teachers are all equally valuable to their community.

“Without education, citizens would not be able to contribute to their communities.”

She said while teaching is not an easy job that comes with little public support, educators need to remember how important the career is in the grand scheme.

“The greatest feeling is when you have former students come back to visit you and share their success,” she said. “That’s when you realize that what you are doing makes a difference in someone’s life.”