The Hattie Watts story and mural

 

The story of Mrs. Watts and her beliefs accompany the large mural, which was doated by the Felterman family. 

Hattie A. Watts Elementary School was named in memory of a black teacher in Patterson who dedicated much of her life to the education of children in the community.  Mrs. Hattie Ann Tibbs Watts was born on December 1, 1882 of slave parent who had been freed in the late 1860's following the Civil War. Her parents moved to Louisiana and received a land grant in the present Taft-Hickory Street area of Patterson, then known as Tibbsville.  Mrs. Watts, whose father was Pastor of the Good Hope Baptist Church, was the youngest of seven children. She was educated by her father and became a teacher in the first "colored" school in the town of Pattersonville.  This school received no funding from the Parish and was not accredited.

 

Mrs. Hattie married and had six children before her husband died in 1916 in a logging accident in the swamp.  She was left alone with small children to raise; but she was a strong woman with much determination, and soon returned to teaching.  Mrs. Hattie never remarried and raised her family on the little money she made as a teacher.  She always took time to teach and care for her children and others that she saw in need.  They didn't have the best clothes, nor did they eat expensive food; but they were clean, warm and never hungry.  She was active in her church and believed that learning in school and going to church went hand-in-hand.  She insisted that they always had their homework done and be well prepared for school, no matter how late they had to stay up, or stay in on Saturday!

 

The residents of Pattersonville had constructed a wooden two-story school building in 1896 which was moved in 1912 to the present site of Hattie Watts School and was renamed the Patterson Colored School.  Mrs. Watts, as a teacher there, made $30.00 a month for many years.  She was later promoted to Assistant Principal, and her salary was increased to $45.00 a month.  In the last 1920's she was one of the first teachers to start adult education classes and went out of hr way to help young and old alike to read, learn, and grow.

 

Life for Mrs. Watts was never easy, as she had no electricity; nor did she own a car.  She walked to school every day, rain or shine, and always did her very best to help those around her.  She believed that learning to read well was most important and worked hard at finding books and making them available to children who otherwise may never have been able to get them.  Many of the children in those days had to work, and some of their parents did not consider education necessary.  This dedicated teacher also tried to show her students how to get along with others in life and how to prepare to become a productive adult.

 

In 1935 Mrs. Watts became ill and had to stop teaching.  Two years later she died and was buried in a cemetery at the end of Williams Street.  The work and dedication of Mrs. Hattie A Watts was so important t the community that when the St. Mary parish School Board constructed a new school on the old site, they named it in her memory.  She would be very proud to know that her name is still a part of education today, and she would no doubt remind every one to keep reading and learning.

 

Messages Portraying the Beliefs of Mrs. Hattie A. Watts

ON HAPPINESS
Happiness does not depend upon a full pocketbook, but upon a mind full of rich thoughts and a heart full of love.  It doesn't come from doing what we like to do, but from liking what we have to do.

 

ON RICHES

The best definition of a rich person is someone with a rich self.  What you are, what you know, and not what you have, is the real measure of wealth.  And the moments in life that you will remember to be the richest will be the times when you have done things to help others.

 

ON BEING YOURSELF

Be gentle with yourself, learn to love yourself, to forgive yourself, for only as we have the right attitude toward ourselves can we have the right attitude toward others.  Champion the right to be yourself, dare to be different and to set your own pattern;  live your own life and follow your own star.  You have the right to be here, and you have important work to do.

 

ON READING BOOKS

You open doors when you open books, so develop a hungry, curious questing mind, and read all that you can.  Through reading you can grow from what you are into the somebody that you want to be.  Through books you can discover America with Columbus, learn about children in other parts of the world, and learn about God.  Read and build a storage of knowledge so that you can learn about life, be successful and get a good job, and be happy with your work.

 

ON WORKING 

Work is not a chain, or slavery, but the freedom to create and to build and to help.  It is only through reading and hard work that you can b somebody.  If you lay a strong foundation and do your job well, you will find new opportunities and a better life.  Work is life, and good work is good life.  Reading is the key to getting good work, and good work is the key to happiness.

 

ON SUCCESS AND FAILURE 

There are no secrets of success.  Success is doing thing you know you should do, and not doing the things you know you should not do.  Success is doing everything that you do the best way that you can.  It is making the most out of what you can be.  You cannot always control what happens to you, but you can always control how you respond to those events.  Failure is as important to life as is success, and you must try to learn from both.

 

ON WINNING AND LOSING 

Life is a mixture o good days and bad, of winning and losing, and sharing.  He who loss his temper or bullies usually loses.  Swiftness does not always make a good race.  Slow and steady with thoroughness and faith in yourself and God will always make you a winner.  Your world will not end if you fail or make a mistake, because there is always another day and another chance.