Eaton Park’s Landry Vermilion Parish Elementary Teacher of the Year

Like so many teachers, Katie Landry shows up for work each day with one goal in mind.
“We show up everyday determined to give everything to our students,” Landry said. “If you do not give 100%, your students will suffer.”
That dedication is just part of what helped earn Landry, a kindergarten teacher at Eaton Park Elementary in Abbeville, the honor of being named Vermilion Parish Elementary Teacher of the Year. That came in the wake of Landry being named her own school’s Teacher of Year.
“It feels amazing and overwhelming to be named Teacher of the Year for my school and my district,” Landry said. “I immensely appreciate the honor because I know how many wonderful teachers work in the Vermilion Parish School District.”
Those teachers have a strong foundation on which to work, one that makes achievement possible.
“Our parish does a great job of supporting and empowering teachers,” Landry said. “My success has everything to do with the trust and respect I have been shown from different employees inside and outside my school.”
Landry, 25, the daughter of Tim and Tammy Landry, is an Abbeville native. She attended Mt. Carmel and Vermilion Catholic. It is fitting, then, that her teaching career, now four years in, has her in her home town.
“I love so much about Eaton Park Elementary,” Landry said of where she has spent those four years. “I have met some of the most caring teachers here. My coworkers care about the future of their students. Some people have been at Eaton Park for over 10 years and have taught me what it means to care for an entire community while working within four walls.”
As for the students who occupy the inside of those four walls...
“Not only do I love the people I work with,” Landry said, “but also I love my students. All teachers get attached to their students. It’s impossible to spend 10 months with them and not find a place for them in your heart.
“I have taught some of the most compassionate, considerate children.”
Children who are in their first steps in the journey through education.
“I love teaching Kindergarten because I can form a bond with so many students at an early age,” Landry said. I get the privilege of watching them grow for the next few years.”
Growing up in a setting with many children brought Landry to education in the first place.
“My mother, Tammy, has babysat in our home since I was in elementary school. I have always been surrounded by children,” Landry explained. “I babysat throughout middle school, high school and college. I love children and always loved helping people.”
It is a genuine quality that radiates throughout Eaton Park’s campus.
“Katie’s passion for her profession is not just felt within her classroom,” said Eaton Park Literacy Coach Leah Turner, “but felt school-wide. Her work ethic is tireless and she is persistent in her ability to look for the best thing for kids. Her attitude is contagious and how she approaches teaching each day is admirable.
“Our faculty, our students and our school are fortunate to have the presence of such an amazing educator.”
Not many become amazing at what they do without the influence of similarly amazing people. Landry has that, from her grandfather, Ivy Richard, to her principal at Eaton Park, Lola Thomas, to her parents. All of them have left a mark.
“Naturally, my parents have greatly influenced my life,” Landry said. “They taught my brothers and me about priorities. They focused their lives around faith and taught us to do the same.
“My mother always taught us to be grateful for the day that God gave you.”
That thinking is what has led Landry to feel nothing short of blessed to be in the classroom.
“Being grateful has allowed me to fall in love with my job,” she said. “I can never feel discouraged or empty when I am with my students. I am grateful for each face. I am thankful for each hug.”