PORT ST. LUCIE PEOPLE
the right direction.
Although Jean Baptiste has a master’s degree, his diplomas
and transcripts had to be translated and approved; an
accreditation organization would evaluate his education. All
of this required more money than he had. His career would
have to wait — it was time to find a job.
Fluent in both French and Creole, Jean Baptiste worked as a
tire technician for six months, learning English as he changed
tires and cleaned toilets. “I tried to be the best version of myself,
embracing it as an opportunity.” He worked for a boat
company for another six months. Finally, he’d saved enough
to pursue a future in education on U.S. soil.
“In Haiti, the education system is very different,” he says.
“Some of the poor may go to public schools but with political
problems, there may be no school for half the year. There are
education gaps. You must find out what has been missed and
make it up.” He remembers one math teacher in particular.
“He was so patient. A ‘light’ came on and I saw my potential.
I knew I needed to be a teacher.”
Securing his Florida certificate, Jean Baptiste taught for a
time at Spectrum Academy, an alternative school in Martin
County. This school year, he began teaching at John Carroll
and is also part of IRSC’s adjunct faculty. He teaches Sunday
school at his church, La Place de la Grace. His philosophy
is that every student can learn if exposed to the right teaching
style and if given the proper attention. “All students are
different. Teachers need to be flexible, providing the right
materials at the right time, matching a student’s reality to the
subject, making it interesting.”
Until Jean Baptiste’s asylum case is completed, he cannot
return to his native country but he does dream of one day
Martine and Amorce Jean Baptiste met and married in Haiti. Martine works
for Florida Community Health Center and in IRSC’s accounting program.
making a positive difference there. “Ten years after the earthquake,
debris has been picked up but Haiti is not rebuilt. I am
not seeing change, unfortunately, but apathy and selfishness.”
He dreams of empowering the next generation to see life in a
different way. “With education and God, they can take their
lives to the next step.”
For now, Jean Baptiste helps students navigate the sometimes
turbulent waters of math while modeling a lifestyle of
gratitude and perseverance. E
ELLEN GILLETTE
Jean Baptiste believes that all students are different, so teachers must stay flexible. Here, John Carrol junior Joseph Fanizzi discusses a recent Pre-Calculus
quiz with him after school. Jean Baptiste also teaches at IRSC.
Port St. Lucie Magazine 49