Beverly Johnston, who completed her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from UM in 1993, worked 29 years in Mississippi public schools, seven of which were spent as an elementary teacher in DeSoto and Madison counties. She served 21 years in administration at Madison Station Elementary School, where she was named Administrator of the Year twice during her tenure as principal. Since retiring in 2017, she has worked at Delta State University in the educational leadership program and coaches aspiring principals from around the state.

“Under the leadership of Beverly Johnston, Madison Station Elementary School became one of the premier elementary schools in Mississippi. Not only has the school ranked consistently as a top performer on various accountability models, but the school was also recognized nationally as a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Beverly worked relentlessly to build a climate in which every student, parent, and staff member felt connected to the mission of the school.” – Charlotte Seals

At a Glance: 

• Worked for 29 years in Mississippi public schools
• Eight years as an elementary teacher at Desoto and Madison counties
• Served 21 years in administration at Madison Station Elementary School
• Named Administrator of the year twice
• Works at Delta State University in the educational leadership program

Can you tell me more about your education path?

I always wanted to be a teacher. It’s funny because when I was in kindergarten my teacher told my mother that she was going to be so disappointed if I didn’t become a teacher. I have always enjoyed working with children. I didn’t really foresee myself being an administrator, but thought I would always be a teacher. I graduated from Brookhaven High School then went to Delta State and got a degree in elementary education. As soon as I graduated, I moved to DeSoto County and taught in DeSoto County schools. I taught several years and then got married. My husband was in law school and we moved to Batesville, so I continued to drive to Hernando and teach while he was in law school. It was during that time that I decided to go to Ole Miss and get a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. After my husband graduated from law school, we moved to Madison and I continued to teach at Madison Avenue Elementary. While I was there, I went to Mississippi College and got another master’s degree in educational leadership. So after seven years in a classroom, I became an assistant principal at Madison Station Elementary School and stayed in administration for the rest of my career. 

Would you share a significant experience you had when you were a student at UM? 

My time spent at the University of Mississippi was given to me at just the perfect season in my educational career. With a few years of teaching experience, I knew that what I was doing each day in the classroom could be improved upon. I also knew that there was so much that I didn’t know. I remember vividly one of my first class meetings with Dr. Cindy Leigh. She asked the class, “What poetry have you read to your students today?” and then “What read-aloud books and authors are you sharing with your students?” A light bulb immediately went off in my head.  This was just one of the many times that I found what I was looking for and needing to be a better teacher. I remember the textbook from her class being the first textbook that I had read from cover to cover twice before the semester ended. I still have that book. All of my classes challenged me to reflect on my practices and to continue to learn and grow in order to be a successful teacher that was able to meet the needs of my students. I literally could not wait to get to my night classes in Oxford. I soaked up every word spoken by the professors and then was eager to get back to my second grade students to implement my new learning.

Can you tell me about your time at Madison Station Elementary School? 

I started out as assistant principal when I was 30 years old, which I consider pretty young to start an administrative career. I always say that I grew up at Madison Station! During my early years Madison the City and Madison Station were growing in population. After serving as assistant principal for three years, I became the principal and was privileged to be a part of building a new school building for the 1,200 plus students that were then enrolled.

Equally important, we began to develop our identity with three major goals: academic excellence, arts integration and fitness and wellness.  We worked to develop a culture of using student assessment data to determine the best way to meet the academic needs of all students.  We researched and studied the most effective strategies and resources to build strong foundations in reading and math.  Our efforts led to our being a top-rated school every year!  We partnered with the Mississippi Arts Commission and became a model arts integration school. Our belief that the academic curriculum could be enhanced with the use of the arts and that students could develop a deeper understanding of the content was key to much of our academic success. Our students were also exposed to numerous artists and composers through live performances and monthly studies.  Finally, we knew that to develop the whole child we had to include fitness and wellness.   We wrote grants to build child-size tennis courts, fitness areas and playgrounds that encouraged students to be active. Our students engaged in spin classes and other exercise activities daily.  A lot of hard work and energy were put into the school by not just me but the whole staff.  We worked together as a family and shared that care and concern for our students and their families.  We won the distinguished National Blue Ribbon School Award in 2010 and it was certainly a highlight of my career.   I retired in 2017 knowing that I had helped to establish a solid foundation that future administrators, teachers and students could build upon.  I am so proud that Madison Station has continued to excel as was recently once again named a 2020 National Blue Ribbon School.

What advice do you have for new educators? 

I have a lot. This is personal to me because I have a daughter that will be a senior this upcoming year at Ole Miss and another daughter starting at Ole Miss in the fall, both in education, so I’m thinking about the advice that I will give to my own children. The first thing I would say is that teachers have to have a passion for teaching children. Find your passion and grow that passion. I feel like that’s what I did. I knew I always wanted to be a teacher but until I received my master’s degree at Ole Miss, that passion wasn’t really there. You have to start out with a receptive attitude and be willing to learn from your mistakes and from others because there are things you won’t encounter while you’re getting your degree that you will encounter in the classroom. You’re going to have to go in willing to learn, knowing that you don’t know everything. Be receptive to peer teachers and administrators, and be willing to spend the extra time to learn, grow and always want to get better. Education is a lifelong process. I would also say to treat all students equally. Kids want to know that they are being treated the same as everyone else is. In the classroom teachers cannot show favoritism no matter a student’s academic level, socioeconomic level, the color of their skin – they all have to be treated equally. That is so important. When we move out of this pandemic, education is going to look different and you’re going to have to be flexible. No one has all of the answers, so it’s going to take a lot of flexibility and patience to help students in the new normal. 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Since I retired, I’ve moved to the university level and I teach a few classes at Delta State. I’ve also been observing student teachers and alternate route teachers from Mississippi College. I’ve had the opportunity to be in a lot of different schools and see what other schools are doing. It makes me very sad that our focus has become an accountability system, meaning a focus on testing. I think now with [COVID-19], it might be a perfect time to refocus. It just makes me sad that the accountability system and end-of-year testing is dictating what schools are doing. Their money is spent on test prep materials and resources. I’ve been in schools where the students haven’t read an entire book all year long. It’s sad that our students are missing out on so many experiences. I think teachers are frustrated because their passion is to teach not to test. This is something that I’m so passionate about. I want to work to make a change in that area.