Knowing early on that she wanted to be a teacher, Melissa Ann Doucet would “teach” her stuffed animals as a young child. She embarked on her formal studies at Northeast Louisiana University, now the University of Louisiana Monroe, earning a bachelor’s degree in education in 1996. In 1995, she began her career, teaching at various schools in Louisiana and Texas over the course of 17 years. This was followed by three years as a teacher at the David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy. She joined the Lafayette Christian Academy in 2015, where she remains to this day. Holding considerable expertise in English, Latin and history education, Mrs. Doucet’s duties include teaching senior AP classes, leading the English department, assisting teachers in other departments as needed, participating in competitions, and training leaders as the sponsor of the school’s Beta Club, a leadership and service organization.
Believing that learning is a lifelong endeavor, Mrs. Doucet earned certification in writing for teenagers and young adults from the Institute of Children’s Literature and, recently, was certified as a curriculum developer in 2021. Looking toward the future, she hopes to use her curriculum development certification to help her school grow, and she has already begun doing part-time work as a curriculum instructor at Lafayette Christian Academy. This certification has been a goal that she had been working toward for a long time, and she considers the successful completion of the certification program to be the highlight of her career. Furthermore, Mrs. Doucet is proud of how they have managed the difficult schooling situations brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and that she has been able to continue to provide for her students.
Alongside her primary responsibilities, Mrs. Doucet is incredibly active in her community as well. Notably, she has done considerable work through the Beta Club, which regularly partners with Aylee’s Angels, a local organization that provides care packages and support to families who have lost children from stillbirths up to age 17. Their primary method of fundraising typically involves setting up pop-up booths and craft shops two or three times a year, with all proceeds going to the organization. Mrs. Doucet is also closely involved with her local church, helping with the youth Sunday school, and volunteers with the Catholic Charities of Acadiana and her local pregnancy and crisis center for expecting mothers.
Mrs. Doucet attributes much of her success to the support network that she has developed throughout her career, from her family and friends to her colleagues and students. Furthermore, she notes that her faith in God has always been a stronghold for her and that she is motivated to honor God in all her actions. Dedicated to ensuring that she is always on top of her game for her students, she maintains professional affiliation with Phi Kappa Phi, an education honor society. For her excellence, she has also been nominated as a Teacher of the Year and Disney’s Creative Teacher of the Year and was named an Educator of Distinction by the National Society of High School Scholars, an award she was nominated for by a student.
Above the honors she has received over the years, Mrs. Doucet considers the most rewarding parts of her career to be getting to see her students learn and having former students come back and tell her how much they learned from her, both academically and in their lives. To young and aspiring professionals, she would advise that being in education is hard work, and it is important to make friends with your coworkers to have the support offered by being among like-minded professionals. When she is not working, Mrs. Doucet enjoys reading and writing, as well as spending time with her husband of 13 years, Jay Doucet.