Class Act with Grant: Moss Point High School’s Candace Batiste
Students in South Mississippi are back in the classroom now as the 2023-24 school year gets underway. That means we’re back with a new series of Class Act segments segment.
Our first Class Act for the school year is a teacher dedicated to helping her students learn real-world skills as they transition to adulthood.
A new year for Tiger Nation means new classes and new opportunities for students to learn new things.
From cooking up meals to learning how to take care of children and managing life resources, Ms. Candace Batiste’s main goal is to help her students transition to adulthood with a solid start. “I like to engage them in real-life experiences. Just preparing them for the real world. And I always tell them, you know, this is not a class where you should fail, but it’s to educate you, and you be prepared once you graduate.”
News 25’s Grant Chighizola sat in on Ms. Batiste’s class as her students were learning how to properly take care of babies using realistic dolls, just one of the many interactive ways she reaches out to her students. “This week, we’re going to pretend that we’re mothers, you know, cause I have three students in here right now. So, we’ll be changing diapers, we’ll be fixing bottles. They’re learning the proper techniques to do things.”
It’s these lessons that serve as the basis for everything she does in the classroom, especially in helping students realize they have options beyond high school. “I just want them to be given the opportunity that, even if you don’t go to college, you can get a job, but you can go to the military, or something of that sort. But you have a chance to be successful.”
As a Moss Point native herself, Ms. Batiste also looks forward to shaping the next generation of Moss Point minds in the years to come. “You know, played sports at Moss Point, graduated from Moss Point, you know, I bought a house in Moss Point, so it’s a great opportunity.”
We encourage you to nominate a teacher you think is making a difference in the lives of South Mississippi students. Click here to submit a nomination.
