The hardwood floors gleamed Monday afternoon with such a lustrous shine that if Franklin Academy fourth-grade teacher Anne Turnage had taken a moment to gaze into the depths, she might well have felt inspired to make a wish.
But chances are, Turnage wouldn”t have wanted to be anywhere but exactly where she was — in the center of her classroom, aligning desks, arranging books and making sure everything is perfect when her students arrive for the first day of school, Thursday.
Earlier in the day, when the Columbus Municipal School District held a special back-to-school celebration at Cook Elementary for nearly 500 members of the CMSD instructional staff, Turnage was among 16 recognized for having perfect work attendance last year.
It is a distinction she has held for nearly three decades. In 29 years of teaching, Turnage — who is the wife of City Attorney Jeff Turnage — has only missed one day of work, and that was due to the death of her mother-in-law, Rebecca Turnage.
Turnage began her career at Greenwood Elementary School in Yazoo City and has spent the past 19 years at Franklin Academy. She attributed her dedication to a passion for teaching and a love for children.
“My (students) always ask me, ”How come you”re never sick, and we never get a substitute?”” she said, laughing. “I say, ”It”s because I love y”all so much.””
Turnage said her fondness of routine and structure helps as well.
“I”m a real check-list type person,” she admitted. “You have to be disciplined, keep to your routine, and let the students know from day one that”s the way it”s going to be.”
She said over the past three decades, she”s seen a number of changes. Parents are working longer and harder than ever. Single parents are more common.
She said she feels her own need for structure is a comfort to the children who sometimes find stability only in the classroom.
“When there”s not a lot of stability at home, they know Mrs. Turnage is going to be there,” she said.
Along with societal changes, education has changed, too.
Turnage said she was on the beach, enjoying her summer vacation, when she received what she deemed to be welcome news — instead of “team teaching,” she will be “self-contained” this year, as she has always been.
Schools across the nation are trending toward having elementary school teachers offer instruction in only one subject, changing classes as high school students would do. It”s an experiment that”s being used in some of Columbus” city schools, but Turnage dreaded it. She prefers the old method of teaching her students everything from spelling to science to math.
But this year, she will continue to teach as she has always taught, and she will be nervous on the first day, as she always is.
She said even though she knows parents are busy, she hopes they”ll find time to get involved in their children”s education, adding that it”s important for teachers to get parental backup and support from the very beginning.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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