Mardi Gras Classroom Lesson

I served as English Division Head, in high schools with populations of 2,000-3,000 students in Texas and Georgia. I taught at Lafayette Junior High, Scott High School, Acadiana High School where I sponsored Annual and Newspaper, and at Iowa High School in Calcasieu Parish.

My career included teaching Cajun students, Muslim, Hispanic, Chinese, Japanese, Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, Asian, Russian, and Louisiana children who escaped Katrina to live in Georgia. You can imagine how much I loved those kids!

Atlanta is a multi-cultural city, so I learned as much from them as they did from me. I taught American and British literature, the Bible as Literature, and a World Religions literature class where we studied Holy books and epics from the Old and New Testament, Indian, Persian, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Sumerian, Greek, Roman, selections from the Middle ages, and Nineteenth and Twentieth Century literature to Honors Gifted students.

I was a fish out of water as much as some of these international students were. They all assumed I was grew up in a large city. So I set the record straight. I spent the entire first week of class discussing our multi-cultural attitudes and genealogy.

I told them I was born in a French Catholic village of farmers and working class people who loved life and shared a culture of family, religious traditions, and a joie de vivre. They assumed I had grown up in Europe.

So I told them about Loreauville and the entrance sign that reads Welcome to the Village of Loreauville. I told them about my graduating class of 24 students, about separate schools for whites and blacks, the curriculum, about the landmark Supreme Court decision of Brown versus Board of Education in 1954 that paved the way for the civil rights movement.

They learned about my friends, and listened intently as I described my social life at T- Lee’s, Aunt Tee’s, Masso’s, George Andrus, Ebou’s, the movie theater, Crip’s, and the Teenage center in St. Martinville.  They told me that nicknames we gave to each other were politically incorrect. How I wished I could have beamed them to Loreauville and St. Martinville so they could understand small town culture.

They could not believe I was Cajun. So I had to prove it. I had come to class armed with copies of Louisiana children’s books including Tim Edler’s books about La swamps and wildlife. I read and spoke in Cajun dialect. You could have heard a pin drop in that classroom.

I anticipated the next question. “Mrs. Barras, would it be possible to have a Mardi Gras party so the girls can drop their tops?” I was ready for that one, too. I announced that on Mardi Gras day we would schedule a cultural study of Mardi Gras as a festival generated from Roman Lupercalia, European traditions such as marching a decorated fatted calf down streets, and Fasching in Germany. They were absolutely thrilled!

I would bring King cakes, Mardi Gras umbrellas, and beads, and they would present short reports on the history, origins and cultural aspects of Mardi Gras. I created a tri-fold brochure outlining Mardi Gras facts and fiction in Louisiana. I told them I would perform and teach them Second Linin'.

I got permission from the football coach to take them to the stadium for our party. The word spread around the 2,000 student body like wildfire. Suddenly, even students who feared my Honors class were scrambling to get in.

I handed out written rules explaining the objectives of my lessons, the curriculum connections, and told students they would not be able to participate unless I received parent signatures.

I forwarded my plans to the Administration to cover my bases. I heard through the grapevine that these esteemed school leaders did rock, paper, scissors to see who would supervise this event. I invited the special services department to bring their students so they could enjoy the festivity.

That day I wore my Mardi Gras Queen Evangeline VII gown, Larry wore his King Gabriel costume, and the Captain of our Mystick Krewe des Acadiens, Dimitri Schreckengost, a Coca Cola executive attended and participated.

Some of the students managed to find an online catalogue and showed me various naughty items they wished to bring to the celebration.  I asked them to spell SUSPENDED.

My classes had an added section the next spring semester.