Annette Blanchard has a phrase for it – and to her, it represents the best part of being a teacher.
“When you see it all click for a student,” Blanchard said. “I call it the paparazzi moment, that moment when 1,000 light bulbs flash at one time and they get it. And not only do they get it, they realize ‘I can do this on my own.’”
To even talk about those times, Blanchard gets excited. This is what she’s passionate about.
The J.B. Martin Middle School music teacher and director of bands is about to begin her year 22nd year at the school, sharing her love of music with her students. Blanchard was recently named a 2025 Louisiana Teacher of the Year finalist, an accolade she says she wouldn’t have predicted for herself but is deeply honored by.
That she is a teacher, on the other hand, is something she would have predicted very early on in her life.
“It’s something I always wanted to do. I was the little girl who played school with her dolls,” Blanchard said. “I was a teacher from the beginning…from day one.”
She had a few different ideas of what she wanted to teach, initially considering English and history as subjects she had interest in pursuing. But then she found music education, and never looked back.
“Music was my calling,” Blanchard said. “Getting kids to embrace their passions and feel comfortable sharing what they love with the world is so important to me. There are so many things music education teaches students outside of the classroom – teamwork, problem solving skills, time management, and all of those things are so vital.”
She was teaching 7th and 8th grade band in Terrebonne Parish when a friend gave her a heads up that there was an opening for an assistant band director and music teacher at J.B. Martin.
“I loved what I was doing in Terrebonne Parish, but I felt like – my daughter was two and (St. Charles Parish) would be a really good move for me and a great place for my family,” she said.
She interviewed and landed the job, and it’s a decision she would never trade.
“I love it at J.B. Martin. It’s home,” Blanchard said. “It makes me happy, and I try to make everyone else happy when I’m there.”
Earning a finalist nod for Teacher of the Year has been a proud experience for Blanchard.
“It’s something way beyond anything I envisioned for myself. I always kind of live vicariously through my students … I’m so honored,” she said.
She’s also quite proud of the blossoming roster of band members at J.B. Martin – it has grown to more than 200 students.
“It’s so exciting that there is so much enthusiasm surrounding this,” Blanchard said, adding, “I have the best feeder (schools) in the universe. Props to Michael Danigole and Monica Monti at Lakewood and R.J. Vial, preparing these kids and getting them excited about music.”
But for Blanchard, the lessons only really start with music.
“My philosophy is I’m teaching you so much more than how to play an instrument or play music,” she said. “I’m teaching soft skills, executive function skills to be the best Cougar, the best Tiger and the best member of your community that you can be. We want to teach the next leaders of our community, people who are empathetic to those around them, who are going to be positive members of the workforce … people who are proud of who they are and represent themselves as the best version of themselves.”
