Teacher on the Move 

By: Alexis Johnson-Williams

For almost a decade students have interacted with a fun-loving teacher at Shreve who cares about his job and his students. He’s known school-wide for hyping up the student section or sometimes even wheeling a bike through the halls. Henri Loridans has changed the lives of students through mathematics for nine years at Shreve.  

Loridans didn’t start his teaching career conventionally compared to others, having the opportunity to teach English to students in France.

“It was a really fun experience, and I got to see a different way of doing education,” Loridans stated.

The qualities from that experience he brought back was working one-on-one with scholars, to aid in their understanding of the course work.

“I do try to do kind of one-on-one work with my students in my classroom. Even though language and math are different, they’re the same thing. It’s just all about trying to understand how to make something happen. Like how do I express what I need to to get to the answer that I want?” Loridans said. 

Through the program in France, he was invited to come back to Louisiana and teach at an immersion school, where all of the classes would be in French besides an English class. However, Lordians’ love for math couldn’t be repressed. Multiple math teachers made an impression on him to teach, yet one teacher stood out.

“So it was in college when I took a stats class that I started realizing, like, oh, I really kind of like math. Then I had a really good calculus professor and he just helped it come alive and make a lot of sense,” Lordians said. 

Wanting to be as inspiring as the others who made an impression on him, Loridans decided to go into the education field. His trend of unconventionality followed during the “internship” or first year of teaching. Lordians was assigned to wheel a cart through the hallways, find an empty classroom, and teach as normal.

“That experience was a major challenge. I told myself if I can get through this year, I can get through anything,” Loridans responded. 

After that experience, he searched for a school home, and he landed at Shreve, where he applied and received a job offer.

“When I came to Shreve, it was night and day difference. I had my own classroom. I made friends. Like, I feel the faculty here at Shreve, we do get along like a family,” Loridans conveyed. 

Through Shreve Loridans can share a part of what he experienced in high school with other students.

“When I was in high school, I did a high school trip to Europe. Now, we get to take students on that trip, which reminds me of how eye-opening that was for me the first time I went,” Loridans stated. 

Besides traveling, Loridans has recently picked up a hobby that correlates with a love of travel, backpacking.

“I did a hike last month where I went up to Arkansas, and I backpacked 26 miles in two days with a backpack of 25 pounds and climbed five mountains.” Loridans revealed.

Loridans has a love for math, traveling, and outdoor activities but a lesser-known one is his hunger for knowledge. This makes him the perfect teacher for AP Research, which is the only class that he teaches that is not math.

“I’m not even teaching. I’m just there kind of guiding people along the process. But we get to touch on so many different things,” Loridans stated.

Students have expressed that Loridans is a one-of-a-kind teacher. The energy he gives daily motivates students to do their best. Inside and outside the classroom, Mr. Loridans always has fun. He is a supporter and it is refreshing to see a teacher who truly about their students,” La’teya Cannon said.  

As someone with a multitude of experiences, Lordians has some advice for the teachers who are entering the field.

“If you’re a brand new teacher starting, your first year is going to be tough and your second year is probably going to be worse but have fun. There are things about the job that can be rewarding.”