Act 4 Dignifying the Teacher

Bearden Elementary Sumner, Mississippi January

Ms. Todd: We blended these letters together and we made sounds. And then we have taken them and put letters with them and made words.

THE HOLIDAYS WERE SURPRISINGLY COLD IN MISSISSIPPI. MS. TODD AND THE KIDS SEEM REVIVED BY THE BREAK.

Ms. Todd: Now we’re going to take our words and we’re gonna make some sentences. Alright, Shykeen.

Shykeen: I have a long hot dog. I wish I did had it.

MS. TODD’S PREGNANCY HAS BECOME A SOURCE OF COMIC RELIEF, COURTESY OF CLASS SOPHISTICATE DAIGON ALLISON.

Ms. Todd: So just out of the blue one day he walks up to me and he says, ‘Ms. Todd, you gonna have your tubes tied after you have that baby?’

Daigon: Cause I know you don’t want to keep havin’ babies and babies and babies and babies.

Ms. Todd: He said, ‘You’d better get your tubes tied, cause that baby’s gonna drive you crazy, is what he told me.’

MS. TODD IS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THIS TERM BECAUSE AT THE END OF JANUARY SHE WILL FINALLY GET SOME EXPERT TRAINING. TORI GREENE, CO-AUTHOR OF PROJECT READ, WILL SPEND A WHOLE WEEK AT BEARDEN.

Ms.Todd: I’ve never really seen anybody really do phonology. And I would love to see someone that really knows how to do it come in and with my children show me the best way to do it.

BUT THIS AFTERNOON, MS. TODD WON’T GET VERY FAR.

Intercom: The town is draining the water tower. Therefore, we cannot use the restroom.

THAT MEANS SUPERINTENDENT BARNES HAS TO CLOSE THE SCHOOL TOMORROW. HE’S BEEN FIGHTING THIS SORT OF CIVIC NEGLECT SINCE HE ARRIVED HERE. HE’S EXHAUSTED… AND HE’S FINALLY DECIDED TO MOVE ON.

Barnes: I’m leaving, effective, next, well, next Wednesday will be the last day on the job. Then Thursday morning I’ll go to Cleveland Mississippi, start again.

HE’LL BE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS IN A COLLEGE TOWN. MR. BARNES WORKED HARD AND PASSIONATELY, BUT LIKE MANY CRUSADERS, HE STRUGGLED WITH THE GENTLER SKILLS OF BUILDING COALITIONS AND GATHERING SUPPORT.

Barnes: Like the old Negro spiritual—nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen. I can say that. I can sing the heck out of that song, simply because through some of my most trying times in this school district, I didn’t trust anybody enough to talk to. I had no sounding board… My biggest disappointment is that I’ve lived here for six and a half years and I have not been accepted locally.

MR. BARNES’ SUCCESSOR, HOWARD HOLLINS, HAS STRONGER TIES HERE. HE’S A FORMER TEACHER WHO HAS LIVED IN THE AREA FOR 24 YEARS. MR. HOLLINS SENDS HIS OWN CHILDREN TO THE LOCAL SCHOOLS, SO HE KNOWS HOW IMPORTANT A TEACHER CAN BE TO A CHILD.

Hollins: You’ve got to love children to the point that when you walk in that classroom and you look at those children, you’ve got to look at that as if this is your birth child. And you have to give those children everything you want your birth child to have… If that love of children, love of teaching is there, achievement is going to take place.

ON THE DAY THE TOWN IS WITHOUT WATER, BEARDEN FINALLY GETS AROUND TO SCORING THE READING ASSESSMENTS THAT WERE GIVEN TO EVERY CHILD BACK IN SEPTEMBER.

Dickerson: When this was administered… Right, September, early part of the year… Should that child have known these words…

MS. TODD NEEDED THIS INFORMATION MONTHS AGO — AND UNDER THE BARKSDALE GRANT, SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO GET IT. AT A MEETING WITH CLAIBORNE BARKSDALE, SUPERINTENDENT HOLLINS SAYS BEARDEN MUST DO BETTER.

Mr. Hollins: Mr. Barksdale, this is my fourth or fifth day on the job. If we identify a problem in September, and we can’t work on the problem until February, our year is gone. So we need something a little different.

NOBODY CAN EXPLAIN WHY THINGS WENT WRONG, AND MR. BARKSDALE SEES OTHER PROBLEMS, TOO.

Claiborne: They have, uh, been slow in ordering materials. I’m – I’m concerned about that. I think they were being cautious and conservative in ordering materials… But here we are, early, mid-January and, uh, we still are trying to get the books in here for the children.

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Photo Credit for Bearden Elementary: Maude Schuyler Clay
Photo Credit for Walton Elementary: Chris Hamilton