LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Melanie Boulet

Position: Retiring Seventh Grade Social Studies Teacher
School: International School of Louisiana
School District: Private
City, State: New Orleans, LA

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Music that Describes Melanie

Melanie Boulet was nominated by her friend, Nancy Rappaport.

"I am nominating Melanie Boulet as a LifeChanger as she retires this year after a forty-year career of inspiring teaching," explains Rappaport.

Ms. Boulet has taught at various schools, both public and charter, urban and rural, teaching subjects from American History and AP World History to Spanish. For several years, she taught in the rural part of Louisiana in "Cajun Country," where she grew up (Montegut, LA). Ms. Boulet stretched herself outside of the classroom, working with extracurricular activities such as the Future Teachers of America Club, the Chess Club, and the Coastal Roots project. In the New Orleans Charter Science and Math High School, she taught World History, AP World History, and Spanish. Ms. Boulet also was the staff sponsor for the world culinary club and coached four new teachers at the school. This year, she teaches at the International School of Louisiana. Everywhere she has taught, she has particularly loved to bring her students outside the classroom to learn.

"As a colleague and friend, it is hard to capture the enthusiasm, intellectual curiosity, and deep affection for her students that Melanie captures," said Rappaport. "Enter her classroom, and there are questions, art projects, and a stimulating buzz of excitement as she ignites her students to engage actively with the material. She has pushed her own professional growth to keep herself vitally informed with courses such as Teaching about the Military in American History, Congress in the Classroom, Sijo Poetry Workshop, and Gilder Lehrman Seminar Institute on Korea."

She has shepherded countless students through the tumultuous hurricanes that have devastated Louisiana. She dedicated her passion to providing high-quality education and enriching the lives of her students, many of whom came from impoverished backgrounds but felt the force of her deep belief in the passion for the possible.

"I first met Melanie at Princeton, where we were classmates. Forty years later, having spent my own career working with families and schools as a psychiatrist, I can tell you that Melanie shines a bright light on her profession with her dedication, passion, and deep respect for learning," said Rappaport.

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Comments (10)

Joe Posted over a year ago

She wa so nice !

Aline Magnoni Posted over a year ago

Melanie is the most dedicated, inspiring, amazing and passionate teacher I have ever met. If only I had had the opportunity to have her as my own teacher growing up, who knows what I would have become! I had the honor of working with her for two years a Sci High in New Orleans, where I witnessed and experienced her unwavering, passionate, and dedicated approach to making each student feel supported yet challenged inside and outside the classroom. Melanie was and continues to be a mentor to teachers and educators, always radiating positivity and spearheading transformational pedagogical approaches. In my time at Sci High she was the lead for the 10th grade teachers and became my mentor and inspiration. She inspired me on a daily basis, supported me with her advice and positive attitude and not only helped me (and continues to) become a better teacher but also a better person. Melanie takes time to listen to each student, to engage students with diverse activities for different types of learners, to promote critical thinking, to spark creativity, to open minds so students can see things from different perspectives, and to help students help themselves and others. Melanie is a lifechanger. She was a lifechanger for me and I have seen her change so many students lives, through her love, passion, dedication and desire to inspire students to find their own place in the world.

Sharon M. Ponder Ballard Posted over a year ago

Mel is indeed a Lifechanger! YES she changed the mindset of students daily but she also inspired generations of educators! I was BLESSED to meet Mel when I took a leave from Chicago Public Schools after Hurricane Katrina to teach in New Orleans. Meeting Mel was such a BREATH OF CAJUN AIR! She always spiced up discussions around best practices, pedagogy and strategies to engage students beyond the classroom. With her retirement there will be a huge void in the field of EDUCATION! However she deserves to be celebrated and honored as she retires from a thankless but rewarding profession! JOB WELL DONE MY FRIEND! WHO DAT SAID DEY GON BEAT DEM SAINTS? A TRUE SAINT YOU ARE!

Tom Brogan Posted over a year ago

I was fortunate to be selected on a culture program in China with a group of teachers from across America, it was fantastic trip. The greatest pleasure was Melanie in our group, The entire group benefited from her enthusiasm and energy. Melanie's sincere desire to learn about the Chinese culture was not limited to our group tours. At every stop, she would strike out and find a cultural, artistic, or recreational activities to participate in, while showing the best of what Americans are... curious, pleasant, and understanding. Language was always a struggle, Her body language and bright smile was always easy to translate. At morning breakfast she eagerly told her fellow travelers with excitement of the adventure.

Elishia McAllister Posted over a year ago

Melanie is such a wonderful soul who truly loves children as much as she does the presentation of knowledge. She is a keenly observant and highly effective, kind, generous, tranquil, supportive teammate who bubbles forth with incredible material and ideas to share with others on a regular and consistent basis. She is supportive yet firm with students, and consistently models excellent research methodologies for them in the classroom. A joy to have as a colleague!

Jo Ann Moinet Posted over a year ago

In my 45 years as a school librarian, I saw very few teachers as dedicated to educating children as Melanie Boulet. She is one of the most creative and tireless teachers I’ve ever seen. She nurtures the students and her co-workers. She is a pleasure to work with and I learned so much from her.

Jerome French Posted over a year ago

I have never met anyone more caring, thoughtful, and hands on then Ms. Boulet. Not only have you taught me a lot as your former student, but you have been a vital part to my creative, and motivational outlook on life. Thank you for all the good times. If anyone deserves an award it's you.

Rebecca McMillian Posted over a year ago

Melanie is an AMAZING teacher who has brought so much to her students’ lives, as well as her colleagues. I was fortunate enough to be a paraprofessional in Melanie’s World History class my first year in education, and I learned just as much from her as our students did. There was never a dull moment in her class and she would offer several different activities for each lesson so that all students at all abilities were able to participate and interact with history. We’d had a bazaar, got to try our hand at a didgeridoo, built dioramas of the French Revolution, compared the game of chess to medieval Europe, and so much more. Her classes were so much fun, and she was such a dynamic teacher. She was also a story teller, which helped our kids remember so much from history. My favorite story she would tell is funnily enough, the story that reminds me most of her. It is a story of Alexander the Great, when he is walking with his army through a desert and there was no water for days. Some scouts were sent out to look, and eventually found a small trickle in a gulley. They were only able to gather enough water to give to their King, and carried it over to him in a helmet. Alexander accepted the helmet from them and thanked them. But instead of drinking the water, he faced his army and poured it out, refusing to drink when his army could not. And that is Melanie. When our school was looking to change our pay scale, there was a lot of debate for how it should be done and who should get a pay raise, if at all. You see, before this, there was no guarantee of a raise each year. So Melanie worked with admin to create a pay scale where everyone would get a 2% yearly raise, but our most experienced teachers would only receive a 1% bump after 20 years of experience. She fought to make sure that everyone had a livable wage and made a sacrifice so that everyone would benefit because she was one of three with 20+ years of experience. And this is just one small example of how she is an advocate, leader, and true friend. She is the most inspiring person I know and I feel so fortunate to have worked with and learned from her. Happy retirement Ms. Boulet!!

Bryce Davis Posted over a year ago

I had the pleasure of working with Boulet at Sci High for two years where we collaborated on the 10th Grade team. Boulet not only has the capacity in being a LifeChanger for her students but for her colleagues as well. She instills a love and passion for her craft as an educator and graciously shares this with everyone around her. She is the best person to have on a team. She's a motivator, an inspirer. She effortlessly mixes her knowledge and humility. She's incredible and astounding. It is a blessing to count her as a colleague and friend. Melanie is clear about her priorities in the classroom; always putting her students in the center of her work in her 40 year career. In my second year of working with Melanie, she shared a document she uses to organize her week. At the bottom of this document is a line Melanie wrote which inspires me everyday. She says, "Education needs to be an awakening within the student - of their own curiosity, their own ideas, their own confidence, and their own dreams."

Jessica Wheeler Posted over a year ago

I had the privilege of teaching with Melanie Boulet for my first 3 years as a classroom teacher. Over those three years, I saw Melanie inspire students through her engaging and innovative classroom activities and her colleagues through her energy, willingness to collaborate and offer advice, and her endlessly supportive attitude. On days when the rest of us were down, Melanie consistently lifted us up by finding what we could celebrate. I consider her to be a mentor teacher and I learned (and continue to learn) so much from her. From bringing environmental science students to LaRose to see her family’s farm, to instilling a love of chess in a generation of Sci High students, to sponsoring award-winning National History Day projects, to cooking for her class, to putting King Leopold on trial in World History, Melanie has certainly changed the lives of her students and fellow educators.