Mr. Jon Magendie is a teacher at the Magnolia Academic Center for Excellence. This will be his 17th year teaching and his 15th year in St. James Parish Schools. He teaches all subjects that his students are enrolled in, which are almost exclusively virtual classes. He assists when students need help in any of their coursework.
Prior to beginning his teaching career with the system, he assisted coaching the Lutcher Girls Powerlifting Team. This is what brought him to SJPS. Coach Magendie says, “When the chance to join the staff at SJPS came up, I justmped on it! It was also a chance to work closer to my wife, who was already at Lutcher High School.
When asked what his favorite part of the job is, Coach Magendie says that it is seeing his students from MACE successfully integrate back into their home schools. “Learning from your mistakes is one of those parts of life that school sometimes doesn’t focus on enough, in my opinion. MACE is the perfect example of dealing with your shortcomings or failures and helping yourself move beyond them.”
Coach Magendie’s advice to new teachers is to find a happy older teacher, and learn like you’ll be their replacement.
He adds that, “SJPS really is a great place to be as a teacher, and a student. We have so many opportunities to offer the kids, and the community support for everything from school to athletics is second to none.”