THE EDUCATORS:

Ange'le Bartholomew, Lincoln County School District, high school math teacher
Annabeth Bates, Lamar County School District, Intervention Specialist
Joelle Bunnell, Lamar County School District, English curriculum specialist
Isla Carr, Itawamba County School District, mentor teacher
Jennifer Goldman, Lincoln County School District, high school English teacher
Josh Hanna, Lee County School District, middle school science teacher
Shauna Hedgepeth, Lamar County School District, Mathematics Curriculum Specialist
Quess Hood, North Tippah County School District, high school physical education teacher
Shannon Eubanks, Lincoln County School District, attendance school principal
Memorie Sanford, Lamar County School District, elementary school teacher
Joseph VanZandt, Lamar County School District, high school algebra teacher
Rob Winkler, Oxford School District, elementary school English teacher
Name Withheld, Tupelo Public School District, elementary school teacher

THE QUESTIONS:
What do you really think of Common Core? Has it striped your freedom to teach the way you want? Is it
really dumbing down our students? Or is it raising the bar on Mississippis academic standards? (Starts
on Page 2)
Do we give kids too many tests? Are they just numbers now instead of individuals? Do teachers really
just teach to the test? (Starts on Page 5)
Are teachers really suffering from the so-called underfunding of MAEP or do you think school districts
are just wasting the money they already have? (Starts on Page 8)
Do educators spend a lot of time during school hours talking about politics? Do superintendents or
school board members try to influence you to engage in politics? (Starts on Page 9)
Whats really wrong with public education in Mississippi? (Starts on Page 11)
Whats really right about it? (Starts on Page 13)
Is there any other education-related political issue upon which youd like to sound off? (Starts on Page
15)

THE RESPONSES:

Q What do you really think of Common Core?

Bartholomew: Common Core should be removed. Depending on your subject area, it has changed the
way you have to teach. In history, it barely makes mention of the Holocaust, one of the most significant
events to take place in history. As a math teacher, I do not know where they dreamed up some of the
"new" math procedures. Common Core is government interfering with our children. Mississippi's
academic standards have never been the issue. Good teachers teach. Good teachers will accomplish as
much as is possible during a school year. This includes going beyond what is required by state standards.
Bates: While I only have teaching experience in kindergarten 1st grades and knowledge of the CCSS skills
within those two areas, I can say emphatically that it works, and I am a proponent. It in no way stifles
the teacher's creativity. Quite the contrary. Each standard is written broadly enough that the teacher is
able to know the final goal while differentiating her instruction to meet the needs of all of her
students. It is not a "strategy guide" it is a "goal guide. What the standards to is develop "critical
thinkers", "reasoners", and "strategizers" who own their knowledge by experiencing the learning
through multiple modalities to serve the "whole child."
Bunnell: I first began researching Common Core in 2010 and loved what I discovered. The ELA standards
allow me the freedom to use any resources I feel are qualified in order to teach students how to think
critically, read actively, write purposefully, and communicate effectively. They have not stripped my
freedom but have given it back to me. I see the standards as a chance for all teachers to be "master"
teachers. Your best educators have always taught this way and this gives all of our students the chance
to have high quality teaching (which they deserve).
Carr: I am a proponent of Common Core. All teachers use standards of some sort to prepare lessons and
choose curriculum. Before the Common Core standards, we had state-developed standards. Common
Core has not stripped my freedom any more than the JBHM manuals, text books, or old state standards
did. I still have the freedom of how I incorporate them and what texts, stories and material I use. The
new standards are more specific than the previous standards we used. I think the new standards raise
the bar for our students and that they are a welcome improvement over what we had before.
Eubanks: I personally am ambivalent towards Common Core. I don't believe it is an educational
panacea, but I also don't believe it is an insidious plot to turn children into gay Muslim communists. I
believe that it is more rigorous and, in the long term, could be a good thing for Mississippi. However, if
all we are doing is raising the bar without providing the resources needed, we are dooming more
children to fail. It's akin to asking a runner starting 20 meters behind to compete in the 100 meter
dash. Can it be done? Yes, but not without a whole bunch of help. Because of the difficulties with this
change to Common Core, I have given my teachers leeway in how they teach to the standards and how
they structure their lessons. As a result, we've not had nearly the issues with what is being taught or
how it's being taught that other schools have faced.
Goldman: The flexibility of the Common Core Standards has enabled me to teach what I feel students
should be learning in high school English: how to navigate challenging texts and write college level
essays. Those are basic skills most college English classes require. The old Mississippi Framework and
SATP Exam for English did not allow as much freedom in terms of how to teach the material; teaching
"to the test" was much easier to do, and I felt that was what I needed to do so that my students could
graduate.

Hanna: Virtually none of the usual critiques of Common Core are accurate. The standards are not
designed to, nor do they, 'dumb down' our kids. They are not a secret plot by elites to hold back the
youths in our nation. They do not promote subversive material or any specific content on any subject for
that matter. They simply promote literacy, reading in technical ways, and critical thinking. The standards
are easily found in a google search and can be read by any member of the public that cares to. They do
not promote certain content over others. They focus solely on literacy. I suppose one could argue that
any set of standards inherently strips teachers of some 'freedom' to teach, but CCSS does not do it any
more than any other set of standards. In my view, the strategies that we implement in order to attain
CCSS challenge students more than they have been challenged in the past. The term 'teach to the test' is
often used. Again, any set of standards by nature, forces an educator to emphasize certain things over
others. Overall though, CCSS doesn't do this any more than the state science content standards already
do. I would say less, since it does not detail specific content. Education inherently needs standards. We
can't just all teach the things that we want to. We can teach 'how' we want to, but there must be some
standard to live up to in terms of the knowledge gained. Having standards, in general, certainly restricts
things when they are implemented but within the framework of the state science standards and the
CCSS, teachers have a wide range to roam around in and teach.
Hedgepeth: I have a M.S. in mathematics education, have taught for 15 years, and I am extremely
passionate about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for mathematics. I can see how the
conceptual foundations in the elementary standards of Common Core will allow students to be able to
make deeper connections to higher level mathematics. The idea that Common Core takes away the old
way of doing mathematics is incorrect. Students are expected to fluently add, subtract, multiply and
divide. Students are still expected to be able to do arithmetic the old way (which is referred to as the
standard algorithm). But the standards also help students have an understanding about the reason why
those algorithms work. Knowing the why will help students be able to transition to more abstract
thinking in algebra-based courses at the high school level. Common Core gives students the ability to be
more flexible with their thinking. I have had the opportunity to have rich mathematical discussions with
elementary students because they understand the structure of how numbers work. Those conversations
are exciting because I truly feel those students will be able to transition to algebra with much more
ease. Teachers in our district can teach the standards any way that they choose, which increases their
freedom in the classroom instead of stripping it. Do you want to teach linear functions using In-N-Out
burgers an example? Great! Want to teach it using the relationship between hours a car travels and the
amount of gas in a tank? Awesome! Want to grab a great question from a student and use it as a
teachable moment to teach linear functions that way? Go for it! Teachers are professionals and are able
to use their own good judgment, experience, expertise and knowledge to create incredible lessons to
teach the standards. As far as dumbing down our students, ask teachers in the high schools if they feel
that we are lowering the bar on student expectations in our courses. Youll find very quickly that we are
not dumbing anything down. We are still able to offer higher level mathematics and AP courses
(including calculus) to our students just as we were before, yet we are raising the bar on the
expectations for those courses so they match the courses around the country. Prior to CCSS, that wasnt
happening. Ive attended national math conferences and met teaches from higher performing states.
When we would discuss what we are doing in our classrooms, it was humiliating to find that what they
were doing in their 7th grade classes was what Mississippi students were doing in Algebra 1. Now our
teachers are able to collaborate and share ideas with teachers across the country because we all have a

common understanding of what 7th grade looks like. And math educators and mathematicians across
the country support the standards as well.
Hood: the only thing I don't like about common core is the way they test. If you are a good teacher you
already teach the way they want Teachers to teach.
Sanford: I love Common Core. Common Core gives a standard and then builds upon it year after year. I
feel like we have more freedom with Common Core to teach how we want because the standards are
specifically stated and we have the flexibility to teach them using different strategies to meet the needs
of our students. I believe Common Core raises the bar for Mississippi students because they require our
children to begin using critical thinking skills at a younger age which better prepares them for the future.
VanZandt: I am a staunch supporter of Common Core. It has not removed any of my freedom in the
classroom. Rather, it has codified the need for guiding students to a deep understanding of the material
that I already tried to attain in my classroom. It is definitely raising the bar for MS students and
educators.
Winkler: I think the Common Core Standards themselves are a step in the right direction. I like the idea
that students are required to read more non-fiction from primary sources and provide more justification
for their answers in math and science. I also like the idea of a common set of standards across the
states, so that families can move from one state to another without worrying about their children
missing critical instruction, and so that valid comparisons of performance measures between states can
be made. Compared to Mississippis previous Curriculum Frameworks, the Common Core standards
definitely raise the bar. However, I believe some aspects of the Common Core Standards should be
reconsidered. Especially at the Kindergarten and first grade levels, I am concerned that some of the skills
might not be age-appropriate for all children. Additionally, I believe schools need to be cautious when
developing curriculum to meet Common Core Standards. Too often, school districts are essentially
purchasing their curricula from large companies like Pearson that profit handsomely from textbooks,
testing, and virtually every aspect of the school accountability movement, and then forcing teachers to
use the companys pre-fabricated lesson plans. In that sense, the freedom teachers once had to teach
the way they want and the materials they want has been stifled, especially in the language arts.
However, this stifling loss of freedom is not so much a symptom of Common Core as it is a symptom of
schools in general purchasing ready-made curricula from these textbook companies, and it is not likely
to be any different without Common Core.
Withheld: I hate Common Core. Teachers have to spend so much time in the tedious details of Common
Core that the kids are missing out on instructional time. For example, every teacher is supposed to have
posted in their classroom their "I can..." statements. These are supposed to be visible to the kids and
any visitor that enters the room. The "I can" statements are supposed to be for the kids so then can
recite back to the teacher, or visitor, what they are learning at the time. I am assigned to a classroom
every morning from 8:00-10:20 during reading time. I have to assist the kids in learning how to read. In
this classroom, the reading teacher goes over her "I can" statements with the kids every morning. She
stresses to the kids that if the principal walks in and asks them what they are doing, they should recite
that "I can" statement back to him/her. Not only does it take time to make these "I can" statements
each week, take down the old ones and put up the new ones, but the teacher is having to use reading
time to drill in to the heads of the kids what the "I can" statements is for the week. A waste of time for
the teachers, and a waste of time and brain space (which seems to be limited these days) in the kids. It is

so important that these statements be posted that it is even a part of our formal evaluation now. One of
the questions in our evaluation is, "Are 'I can...' statements posted in the classroom?" This is just one
tiny bit of it all! This doesn't even get in to the "Focus Wall", "Question of the week", "Wild Words", etc.
The teachers are bound by Common Core and have to teach the way Common Core wants them to
teach, even down to the vocabulary they use. So, yes, it does strip the freedom of the teacher to teach
the way they want to. As far as dumbing down our students, is it more important for the kids to be able
to recite, "I can read like a teacher" to the principal, or use the time it took to memorize that to actually
learn how to read? And on top of it all, the kids have no idea or understanding as to why they have to
memorize these things and be able to recite them back.
Q Do we give kids too many tests? Are they just numbers now instead of individuals? Do teachers
really just teach to the test?
Bartholomew: We definitely give too many tests! All children are different, and they all learn differently.
Not all children "test" well. These "tests" only measure how well a student takes tests. Yes, some
teachers "teach to the test". Other teachers, teach knowing that student learning, not test scores, is the
objective.
Bates: Yes and no. We must have the data to support, drive, and differentiate our instruction. Having
said that, assessments are, in fact, a necessary instrument to provide that information. I do feel,
however, if we find the appropriate type of assessment that provides all the information we need to
make the appropriate intervention decisions, and that assessment is a valid instrument, then "multiple"
tests are not necessary and can, in fact, become redundant. Are students just numbers now? Absolutely
not. If the educators are using the information to drive their instruction, the students are being given
personalized teaching which is quite the opposite of the accusation. Do teachers just teach the test?
Again, my experience is in a non-tested grade; however, the teachers should be teaching the curriculum.
The test should align to that curriculum providing a parallel in the instruction and its assessment
results. The confusion that comes into play is that we allow one test to determine a child's, teacher's,
and/or school's success, which is unrealistic. We are dealing with living, breathing organisms that have
multiple factors going on and evolving simultaneously on a daily basis. An illness can affect a child's
score. Home situations can and do affect a child's score. Anxiety does affect a child's score. Each of these
is just one determinant to the outcome of an assessment. This, in and of itself, is more defense for CCSS;
because, again, they are written broadly enough to take much of this into account.
Bunnell: Testing has been around since the 80s and this new round of testing is not any more than what
we are moving away from. In fact, under the PARCC assessments, students will spend less time testing
because the tests are timed. In the past, students have had all day to finish each section of
testing. Now, students will be done with a section in less than two hours. I know that teachers taught to
the test years ago and I think with our new standards, it will be more difficult to teach to the test
because the questions are asking students to think and go deeper. It also requires students to write and
that gives a better indicator of what a child has learned. Good teachers develop relationships with
students. Students are never just a number.
Carr: I think if you teach to the test you are shortchanging yourself and your students. You have to teach
above and beyond what is on the state tests if you want your students to do well and the test does not
cover everything that is important for them to learn.

I am not sure that we give the kids too many tests, but I think we give them too many of the wrong kind.
I think all tests we give should be able to inform the way we teach as well as what we teach. If I give my
students an assessment on grammar and they demonstrate mastery on subject-verb agreement but not
on dangling modifiers, I will spend less time teaching subject-verb agreement and more time on
dangling modifiers. That sort of assessment is helpful to me as a teacher and to my students in the longterm. Using students 8th grade Language Arts MCT scores to predict whether they will be successful in
10th grade English (English II), is less reliable and less helpful to me. Most teachers, myself included, use
evidence-based teaching with our students. I give my students multiple small tests throughout the
course before and after we cover material to check for mastery and growth. I know many teachers do
this. I think each high school student should be required to take the ACT. I think STAR tests can be very
valuable instruments for teachers, administrators, districts, curriculum writers and policymakers. I know
our students can compete with students in other states and world-wide. I like the idea of being able to
compare students using more unified tests. This year when we look at student scores on PARCC
assessments, we will be able to compare our students to students in other states. This opens up a whole
new realm of resources and strategies that we can benefit from across state lines.
The English II SATP that the state previously gave (prior to this year) took some students all day for two
multiple choice sections. I think that it was too long and serves little use other than school and teacher
accountability. I take further issue with the fact that these students cannot get a diploma unless they
pass these tests. We have students that will not be allowed into job training programs in areas like
welding or diesel mechanics because they cannot pass a US History or English II test. I believe knowledge
is important to everyone, but I do not see how preventing a child from getting a diploma and into a
training program because he or she cannot pass a state test is going to help that child (or our economy,
crime rate, etc.). Not every child will go to college. Not every child wants to go to college. I want every
student I teach to have the option to go to college. I do not think our current state tests are too difficult
content-wise (many other states have much more rigorous tests), but I still think there will always be
those students who, for whatever reason, cannot pass them and I worry the economic impact this will
have on their lives.
Eubanks: It's not so much that there are too many tests as it is that we misuse tests and put too much
emphasis on scores. Tests are used to stratify students, label schools, and evaluate teachers, despite
robust research that demonstrate scores on standardized tests reflect affluence and poverty more than
anything else. If we used tests as diagnostic tools, to see where students and schools are and what they
need to improve teaching and learning, then they could be useful. But when we use the scores to make
hiring and firing decisions, to determine who gets raises and who doesn't, which schools are "successful"
and which ones aren't, then it creates a pressure cooker environment where teachers and
administrators focus more on a child's score than their individual needs. Schools will focus on teaching
to the test and not just simply teach. Ultimately, with the right amount of pressure, teachers and
principals may feel compelled to falsify scores in order to keep their jobs.
Goldman: Students are tested entirely too much. I believe we have fourteen testing dates for the month
of March alone.
Hanna: Testing has its role in education. But, our state needs to settle on the way we are going to do
that. Opting into certain things and then backing out of them a year later is a waste of taxpayers' time
and money. At my school, our teachers and administrators have spent a lot of time and energy

preparing for certain styles of testing. We did it early in anticipation and now it feels that it was for
naught. In my class, kids are definitely not numbers. I don't know of any school or teacher or educator
that sees it differently. At the end of the day, yes, the state may see them and their scores as numbers,
but that is not something that is associated with any recent changes. As long as testing of any kind has
been in place, that has been in place as well.
Hedgepeth: I think the relationships Ive built with students over the past 15 years proves that no
student is a number to me. Each student is and will continue to be an individual to his/her teacher and
those relationships are the key to anything we do. I want to make sure that students have mastered the
standards that Ive taught every year. Personally, I think it is important for me to know the areas in
which my students excelled and where they may have been weak. Assessments allow me to evaluate my
instruction and be a better teacher every year. I also want to know that my students are competitive
with any other students in the country at their grade/course. Testing is not a demon created by
Common Core, however. We have had tests in the classroom since the MCT. Were our old Mississippi
Framework standards or our previous Mississippi Curriculum tests verified nationally and vetted through
committees of politicians prior to using them in the classrooms? No.
Hood: I am not sure we give too many test just the wrong ones. As teacher we all here way too much
about test so if you feel your job is on the line of course you teach the test. I call it training not
education. The military trains individuals to do one job educators should educate kids with a broad
knowledge base.
Sanford: I cannot speak for all teachers in Mississippi but I know our teachers at Oak Grove Primary do
not just teach to the test. We use a lot of informal assessments with our students so that we can make
adjustments in our teaching as needed before students are formally assessed. We use assessments as
tools to improve instruction not to just put a number with a child.
VanZandt: I am no fan of standardized tests, and I certainly do not teach to them. This is true now, and
it was true before common core. However, I do understand the necessary evil of standardized testing.
Winkler: I believe that we do give too many tests in schools these days, and that many teachers do
teach to the test, spending an inordinate amount of time on teaching test-taking strategies rather
than content mastery. I see this as an unfortunate and probably unintended consequence of the school
accountability movement. The complaint about teaching to the test has been a common complaint
ever since No Child Left Behind was enacted more than a decade ago, and it has been exacerbated by
the more recent merit pay trend of tying teacher pay to student test scores.
Withheld: The kids are given way too many tests: Common Assessments, Mid-Unit Common
Assessments, Achievements Tests, MCT, and MCT2, PARCS test, Classworks tests, STAR Reading tests,
DIBELS test, etc. It just goes on and on. And yes, the teachers teach to the test when it is close to time
for one of them. "This exact type of question will be on the test!" I have heard that statement so many
times it's not even funny. After all, if the kids don't pass all of these tests, it falls back on the teachers.
Even my son has said this year and last year since Common Core, "It seems like all we ever do is take
tests. And he is right. The kids say the same thing at my school, or they are asking if they have a test on
that particular day. That's all they know. We just finished a week of testing this past week of school. It
started on Tuesday, and went through Friday. They tested every morning for at least 2 hours each day.

The kindergarten tested all morning, took a break for lunch and specials, and then tested in the
afternoons as well.
Q Are teachers really suffering from the so-called underfunding of MAEP or do you think school
districts are just wasting the money they already have?
Bartholomew: Yes, teachers suffer due to under-funding of MAEP.
Bates: We are underfunded and overworked. We are placed in situations that are often given much
weight and influence toward our effectiveness rating that end up being temporary and inappropriate.
For example, we have large class sizes, which makes it very difficult to meet each student where he is
and provide the necessary attention, teaching, reteaching, enrichment, and time to truly delve into
skills. Yet we are told that we must do it effectively in order to either meet or maintain a certain rating
based on a test that we will only give one time. This is just one area we could improve upon if we were
fully funded.
Bunnell: Underfunding forces teachers to spend their own money to insure classrooms and students
have the necessary supplies in order to be successful. I personally spend hundreds of dollars per year on
my own classroom. In our district, they strive to give the students what they need but the lack of
funding makes it difficult and that burden ends up falling to the teacher. Also, with technology playing
such a huge role in our world, our students need be using it as a part of their education. As a mother of
five, I want my children to be successful and able to compete with others across the nation and
world. Without implementing technology, our students will get left behind. Computers are needed in
our schools and that requires funding.
Carr: Yes, teachers are suffering from the underfunding of MAEP, however, it is our students who are
suffering the most. With the emphasis on tested subjects, many of the arts, music and humanities
classes have been cut as schools had to cut back on personnel. Also, most districts had to cut back on
the number of aide positions which allowed for more individual and small group reading interventions in
lower grades and more remediation or tutoring at higher grade-levels. This is one of the current
concerns with the state reading gate test for 3rd graders. I have taught 7th graders who were reading
below a 3rd grade reading level. I know the issue is real, but I worry that we did not fund our program
nearly as well as the state of Florida (the state Mississippi modeled its program after) and I am not sure
we are prepared for the predicted masses of 3rd graders that will be retained this year. Schools need
additional tutors to help this program be successful. When I see what textbooks and resources students
across the state line in states like Alabama and Tennessee get, I cannot help but feel a little envious of
those resources and wonder how much more I could expose my students to with similar resources.
Eubanks: My teachers may not see the suffering because I have worked hard to provide what they need
within my limited budget. But we don't have elementary art and music. I have 1st grade classes with 27
students without an assistant. I constantly have to juggle 6-12 schedules to accommodate course
requirements without being able to provide many electives. Last year, a water pipe burst under the
school library and it almost completely wiped out my maintenance funds. We have old buses on routes
because the district has to shift money to cover MAEP shortages. And we did this while maintaining a B
rating, so we then become victims of our success (if they can do it for $7,000/student, why can't
everyone else?). But, we've squeezed every turnip we can, we moved on to rutabagas, and there isn't
much left to squeeze.

Goldman: I can't speak for the entire state of Mississippi, but my school needs more teachers. Class sizes
quickly become far too large, and there is little flexibility in arranging student schedules.
Hanna: I don't think of it as 'teachers' suffering from underfunding as much as schools suffering. Or
districts. Or the state in general. If we expect kids to take part in, and be competitive in, a state-of-the
art world, then we have to give them at least something approaching a state-of-the-art education.
Technology seems to be a big part of life now, and schools often lack it.
Hedgepeth: If someone feels that the district is wasting money, I would love to know where it might be.
I feel like our district is pinching pennies in as many areas as possible so that they will get the most
bang for their buck in the classroom. Yet teachers across the state are spending hundreds of dollars
every year out of pocket on classroom supplies and professional development opportunities. I
personally spend hundreds of dollars every year on professional development expenses because
mathematics education is constantly evolving. We want teachers to give students the best education
and hold them to the highest academic standards, yet we dont give them the funds to do so. We want
our students to have 21st century skills, but districts are only provided minimal funds in order to give
our students access to those 21st century tools.
Hood: Teaching is a calling a few we have too many people who are not called to do this. Money does
not fix everything. It where we put the money. Most citizens don't know that the state budget for K-12 is
like 43 percent of the total. Maybe we should look at where we are putting the money.
Sanford: I do not believe school districts are wasting money. I feel like schools are using funds to the
best of their abilities to help students and teachers.
VanZandt: I'm not well acquainted enough with the school/district balance sheets to have an informed
opinion. However, I do think that any budget surplus (like the one we have now) should go to education
before tax cuts, which I hear has been proposed.
Winkler: In the past five years, Mississippi teachers in general have been suffering from increased class
sizes and fewer educational resources, even in supposedly wealthy districts like Oxford. As always, the
effects of this underfunding have varied across Mississippis school districts, with the chronically
impoverished districts feeling it the worst, to the point that they can no longer even supply students
with textbooks, let alone adequate materials for art, music, vocational, and physical education classes.
The underfunding of Mississippis constitutes criminal negligence on the part of Mississippis lawmakers
and is an embarrassment to the state.
Withheld: I think our school district wastes an enormous amount of money, from curriculum to planting
trees. The irony in it all is that there's no money for art supplies. I got $150 for the entire school year for
400 kids.
Q Do educators spend a lot of time during school hours talking about politics? Do superintendents or
school board members try to influence you to engage in politics?
Bartholomew: No, educators do not spend a lot of time during school hours talking politics. Educators
are too busy educating. Superintendents nor school board members have tried to influence anyone to
engage in politics in my school district.

Bates: If educators are doing what they are called to do, there is little time if any during school
hours, to discuss anything, let alone politics.
Bunnell: I have never discussed politics during school hours. We have been discouraged to do so by our
administrators and school board members. I have not felt pressured to engage in politics by my
district. It does infuriate me that the public thinks schools/districts are threatening teachers to not talk
about their opinions on Common Core. In my experience, I stay mute about the subject in front of my
friends and family because of the backlash I receive from them. The misinformation that has been
spread is so rampant that some of my friends have even ostracized me because of my support for the
standards. My school district has never tried to influence me. I do my own research and make my own
judgments.
Carr: This has not been my experience. Occasionally, our superintendent forwards us legislation that
impacts teachers or students, such as the recent K-12 Appropriations Bill (HB 1536), but it is purely in an
informational capacity. I never recall being told how I should react or respond to any legislation,
politician or political party.
Eubanks: I have no idea how much time other educators discuss politics during school. I only discuss
political issues with teachers when asked; however, I will discuss educational issues with the staff on
occasion and only from the context of how it affects them as teachers or the community as a whole. I do
not try to influence how they vote or how they engage in politics; however, I do warn my staff that if
they follow me on social media, then they will be exposed to my opinions so they are forewarned to
either block, unfriend, unfollow, or ignore if their views do not coincide with mine. I use social media
(mostly Twitter) as both news feed and communication tool so I do monitor happenings and relay them
with occasional opinion. Likewise, to my knowledge neither our district superintendent nor any board
member has tried to influence my staff in any way politically.
Goldman: I try to stay up to date, but with so much chaos and confusion surrounding education at the
moment, I try to stay positive and teach children. That's what it's all about.
Hanna: In general, people talk politics in school just like they talk about it in real life. Some engage in it,
some have no interest. In three years, I have never felt pressured to take a certain position on any given
subject. I have never heard of anyone pressured to take a certain position.
Hedgepeth: Educators are spending time during the day teaching, supervising and building relationships
with students. Teachers make approximately 1,500 educational decisions each day, have about 20
minutes for lunch (while we are supervising students), and may have the opportunity to go to the
restroom once or twice a day. That leaves no time for socializing, much less engaging in politics. I have
never had a principal, superintendent or school board member try to engage or influence me
politically.
Hood: I can't speak for all just me. I have too much to do in the day to talk about politics. And I have
never had a superintendent board member or principal tell me how to vote.
Sanford: We do not have time to talk about or discuss politics. During our school day we are busy
instructing and taking care of children.

VanZandt: I almost never discuss politics at school. I have never been encouraged to participate in
politics by any direct supervisor.
Winkler: In my eight years of experience teaching in Mississippi schools, I have never talked politics with
my colleagues, and Ive rarely overheard colleagues discussing politics at school. However, I have
worked under a superintendent who e-mailed employees weekly with informative legislative updates,
encouraging employees to contact local representatives and senators about pending legislation that
could (in the eyes of the superintendent) positively or negatively impact the school district.
Nevertheless, these communications never crossed the line into advocating for particular candidates or
political parties during elections, so I never deemed them inappropriate.
Withheld: I don't think there's enough time to go pee each day at school, much less talk about politics,
but I could be wrong. I'm not in each grade level's planning time each day, so I don't know what they
discuss. Yes, we have gotten emails from TPSD higher-ups (not school board members, and not the
superintendent, himself) encouraging us to contact people in government positions about different
things at different times. The email either has a website attached to it, or other contact information to
get in touch with certain people.
Q Whats really wrong with public education in Mississippi?
Bartholomew: Parental involvement, decreased family values, etc., which are results of poverty in the
state.
Bates: 1) Large class sizes; teacher-to-student ratio is ridiculous; 2) Inconsistency in standards and test
instruments; give something more than 1-3 years to track before starting something new; 3)
Unprepared educators; 4) Lack of resources.
Bunnell: Politics. If politicians would allow educators to make decisions concerning education, MS would
rise from the bottom. As it stands right now, our students and the future of our state is being held as a
bargaining tool in the Capitol.
Carr: While not all schools in Mississippi have the same problems or are affected by the same degree of
problems, most of the problems I see in the schools I have worked in come from much larger societal
and state issues. For most of my students that do not do well in my classes or on the state tests,
absenteeism is high and their home life is turbulent and unstable.
If I could give every child a stable, loving, educated family with jobs that provide a life above the
poverty-level, than that would go a long way in fixing many of Mississippis education problems. Since I
dont have a magic wand, I would settle for better family resources and support, state-wide fully funded
quality Pre-K, and more community involvement in our schools in the way of after school programs, club
and field-trip sponsorships, mentoring of students, etc. Fully funding of our K-12 and college programs
with free continuing education (college credit level, not workshops) for teachers and administrators
would help as well. There is a saying that I have never met a child that couldnt learn, while I agree
with that sentiment wholeheartedly, I would add that I have never met a teacher that could not teach. I
feel like some teachers may need more continuing education or support than others, but I wish the state
would focus on helping our education system instead of deeming us all failures.

We have got to get better at identifying special needs, especially problems reading or comprehending
what they read, early on. By the time a student comes to me in high school and fails the state English II
test a few times, even if I suspect a reading or comprehension issue there is nothing I can do because of
the age of the student.
Eubanks: Schools reflect the communities their serve. Successful schools exist in thriving communities;
failing schools are found in struggling communities. The ills of public education are the ills of the
community; students bring their problems to school, schools don't create their problems. An ancillary to
this is that we don't agree on the purpose of public education (is it workforce training or preparing
students for citizenship) or even if public education should exist. Mississippi has a long history of
recalcitrance in supporting public education. This is exacerbated today with parents and politicians
watching 24-hour news opinion shows and listening to talk radio and being conditioned that public
schools are not teaching "our values" (see response to Common Core). Our failing schools are
predominately in low income, high minority areas; our high performing schools are predominately in
high income, low minority areas. And it's easier to write off an area or region than to take an honest
look at ourselves and what we are doing, or not doing, about the problem.
Goldman: Our state doesn't trust teachers to make the important decisions. We are not respected as
professionals of our craft. I find this discouraging, but I know what I do makes a difference.
Hanna: I would say what our state lacks is engagement. We are at the bottom in education. Our aim
should be the top. I am a sports fan, but often, our emphasis feels like it falls more on what is going on
on the sports field and not in the classroom. That goes for lower education as well as higher education.
Certainly from the general public. We need full PTA meetings. We need full school board meetings.
Hedgepeth: I feel that most politicians do not respect teachers as professionals and try to make
decisions without consulting us. Take the 24-member commission in a Senate bill suggested by one of
our legislators to study CCSS: Only seven actual educators on that commission (and middle school
teachers were completely left out). If you are determining the validity of mathematics and ELA
standards for students, shouldnt the majority of the commission be made up of teachers who are
experts in pedagogy and teaching children in mathematics and English/Language Arts? Not according to
your politicians. The majority of the commission will be made up of people with absolutely no
experience in pedagogy or education, which is honestly a slap in the face to those of us who will be
directly impacted by any changes in standards.
Hood: Lawyers answer to the bar made up of all the lawyers. Doctors answer to medical board made up
of doctors. Educators are the only profession that answers to people who are not professional educators
and that in a nutshell is the biggest problem with education in the state of Mississippi.
Sanford: I feel like the biggest problems are parent involvement and community support. I wish people
would stop arguing about Common Core and come into the classroom and see it for themselves.
VanZandt: The biggest challenge facing MS schools is low expectations. The requirements to become a
teacher are some of the least rigorous in the nation. The old state standards suffered from the same low
expectations.
Winkler: I believe there are several areas where public education in Mississippi could be improved:

Mississippi desperately needs to invest in universal pre-K, like most other states do, so that our students
will be ready to learn when they get to Kindergarten. Currently, Kindergarten teachers end up teaching
groups of students with an enormous range of ability, from students who can already read at a first
grade level to students who cant even identify letters of the alphabet or count to twenty. Addressing
the needs of every student in such a diverse group is nearly impossible, even with a full-time assistant.
Most Mississippi students dont have enough options when they get to high school. Outside of special
education, most students are limited to three choices: pass the four state tests and earn all the
prescribed credits, take the GED, or drop out. And of course, the negative consequences of students
dropping out tend to be felt by the entire communities in which they live. I support initiatives that aim
to keep at-risk students from dropping out, even if it means providing alternate tracks that loosen
academic requirements for students with no intention of going to four-year colleges. Additionally, many
high school students dont have adequate access to vocational resources or arts programs. I would
support initiatives that foster alliances among school districts, allowing these types of resources and
programs to be shared among students of multiple districts, so that high school students are not so
constrained by district boundaries. Unfortunately, these district boundaries are too often used to
segregate communities and perpetuate athletics interests and political fiefdoms.
The biggest problem with public education in Mississippi is its susceptibility to legislative machinations
by political interest groups. However, this actually speaks more to our problems in the realm of politics
than to our problems with public education.
Withheld: Discipline is always an issue, even in my K-2 school. I had a kindergartener tell me one day to
suck his d**k, and he called me a b**ch. This was in front of the entire class so every kindergartener's
ears heard what he said. I also had another kindergartner say, "Kiss my a**." I know in the private school
I used to teach in, this would never have happened.
Q Whats really right about it?
Bartholomew: The educators, teachers and principals, who work every day to overcome the "issues"
that students bring to school with them every day and still try to educate them afterwards.
Bunnell: We have some fantastic teachers and administrators in our state. I wish parents and
community members would take the time to visit some of their local classrooms and see the amazing
things being done within those walls. The projects and activities my own children come home working
on make me proud of their teachers. It excites me that my children are all being able to see outside of a
textbook and putting real-world applications to use.
Carr: Education is still the best chance our students have for making a better life for themselves. In a
state with such a high poverty rate, a high-quality education is even more essential for students living in
poverty to pull themselves out. When I see our students succeed, despite the odds stacked against
them, it is one of the most amazing experiences. When a child knows that you care and believe in them
and work hard to prove to themselves and others that you are right about them, there are few prouder
moments as a teacher. Teachers in our state work in some of the toughest situations in the nation, we
get paid low wages relative to other professionals (including teachers in other states) and our students
come to us with more disadvantages to overcome than in most other states. I have had the privilege to
teach some incredibly bright students, and to work with some of the best teachers in the nation. I think

so often in our state it is easy to see what is broken, but we should be celebrating more of our successes
and trying to make sure all students have the opportunity to succeed the way so many of our students
have already proven they can.
Eubanks: Public schools provide most students opportunities to be successful in life. Whether it's clubs,
athletics, or academic competitions, students have avenues in which they can participate and develop
interests. Because public schools educate 90%+ of our students, they are still needed in developing
social skills, communication skills, and preparing students to become part of the greater community
upon adulthood. Public schools also bring about social change: racial equality, women's rights, dignity
and respect for disabled, etc., ideas we may take for granted, were first initiated in public schools. And
public schools, because they belong to their communities, give communities an identity, a source of
pride and unity, and a combined interest that transcends race, religion, or political identity.
Goldman: Everything about education can't be quantified into a neat and tidy spreadsheet to measure
"effectiveness." Education is always changing, and it's not a career for the faint of heart. I think
Mississippi has some of the finest educators in the country who refuse to accept that it is an "abysmal
failure" (to quote our governor).
Hanna: This one is hard to put into words, but something about the personal nature of it feels right in
Mississippi. I grew up in a metropolitan city. My teachers didn't live near me ... often many miles away.
They certainly didn't know me or my family outside of school. At our school, many of the kids know the
teachers even before they get to their class. It seems like we could harness that atmosphere.
Hedgepeth: We have amazing teachers in our state who see the benefit of the shift to CCSS and are
doing great things. We have great parents who trust us as professionals to teach their children. We are
making decisions every day to ensure that we are laying the foundations that our students will need to
be successful after graduation. We have administrators and district leaders who trust us to be experts in
the standards and help us in any way we need to educate our students. We have school board members
who are proactive in asking questions about the standards and will ask us to help decipher the fact from
the fiction.
Hood: It has been my experience the last 15 years that most schools I have been involved with are made
up of great professionals who feel they were called to teach and they really care about kids. I'm also say
that I think the bad examples of school systems in the state for fewer than the good ones but they
outshine the good ones getting education a bad name in the state.
Sanford: Thousands of dedicated, hard-working teachers, who pour their heart and soul into improving
the lives of Mississippi students.
VanZandt: The thing that's most right about education in our state is the passion of the vast majority of
our educators. Most of us care very deeply for our students, our schools, and our state.
Withheld: We (the teachers) get a rare opportunity that the general public doesn't get to make a
difference in the kids lives, even in the smallest ways. I have given some of my "discipline problem" kids
attention, and they are now my best friends. That's all some of them want, especially at such a young
age. With K-2, a hug and an "I love you" goes a long way.

Q Is there any other education-related political issue upon which youd like to sound off?
Bunnell: Yes. What gives a politician the right to tell me when I can email or call concerning educational
political issues? One of the proposed bills states that educators will be fined for contacting their
legislators during work hours and possibly have their license taken away. What if I have taken a personal
day? What if it is during a time when I do not have students and want my voice to be heard? They are
trying to take away the voices of those on the front lines.
I was recently at the Capitol and was saddened by the number of representatives and senators not
present for session. There were a few things voted on and as the voice of their constituents, shouldn't
they be there regardless of if it takes 10 minutes or 10 hours? These are paid representatives of the
people and they are not doing their jobs, yet they want to penalize a teacher for taking 10 minutes to
write an email written during their work hours.
Carr: I do not think many of our legislators or other state officials seem to understand how education
works in our state or what teachers and students contend with on a daily basis. I wish our governor and
legislators, as well as other leaders throughout our state and communities, would come to work with
teachers at schools of different sizes and ratings for a day or two to honestly see what it is we do and
what resources we need.
Hedgepeth: Many teachers and college students were in Jackson last week to talk about the Common
Core State Standards. The education committees of the House and Senate were invited to lunch to hear
from these individuals and ask questions of them regarding the standards. Only four legislators attended
(one let us know he had a prior engagement for lunch but offered to ask/answer questions before and
after lunch). The four legislators who attended were gracious, asked questions, and even offered to
answer questions from us. Where were the legislators who are the most outspoken against Common
Core? If you are a legislator convinced that the standards are terrible, wouldnt you want a chance to
defend that position to the group of individuals that they directly impact? Wouldnt you want to have a
rich discussion with us about your concerns and hear why we are all so passionate about keeping them?
Shouldnt you be there to answer our questions since you are making decisions without us? In fact,
some of those outspoken legislators were not even at the Capitol that day even though they knew we
would be in attendance.
I would like for our Governor, Lt. Governor, and those outspoken legislators to sit in a room of teachers
who are passionate about the standards and answer our questions. I want them in our classrooms to see
the standards in action instead of believing the things they read on the internet. I want them to defend
their opinions of CCSS with evidence from the standards themselves. I want them to explain to me how
they know more about whats best in mathematics education than teachers even though they have zero
expertise in the subject or in how to teach it. If you are going to make those types of major decisions
about what happens in classrooms, then you should be willing to be held accountable for it with the
teachers who are affected by those decisions. But guess what? That type of public accountability will
NEVER happen. I strongly believe that CCSS is a political tool. If those legislators were honestly as
passionate against the standards as teachers are for them, then they would have no issue sitting in a
room and discussing the standards with us. They would not decline our invitations to discuss the
standards in private and/or in our schools. They would take the opportunity to come to our classrooms.
However in doing so, they might have to admit that CCSS isnt the beast theyve tried to convince the
public that it is.

Hood: The only other thing I would say especially here lately about special education in schools is that
we have way too many politicians that know nothing about the federal laws that regulate specialeducation and before they go making laws about special-education they should they should understand
the federal laws and I would say a lot of issues and schools we have special ed problems is it called
schools are not following the federal law.