STARKVILLE — Erica Johnson, an English teacher at Starkville High School, was selected by the Mississippi Department of Education to serve on the 2024-25 Mississippi Teacher Advisory Council.
The council provides direct input to the state superintendent of education about issues in Mississippi’s schools, and members participate in discussions that focus on improving learning in classrooms across the state.
Johnson was selected to be part of the council in August, and meetings with state leaders will begin this month. She applied to be on the council because she loves Mississippi and education, she said.
“I want our education system to be the very best it can be,” she said. “I realize that my influence is limited in the classroom. I want to be an advocate for students and teachers on a larger scale and be part of the solutions implemented in our state. We can’t grow unless people speak up and participate in the process.”
Johnson has served as a teacher in the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District since 2017, when she started mid-year at Armstrong Junior High School as a sixth-grade reading teacher. The following year she moved to SHS, where she has taught ninth and 10th grade English.
She currently teaches dual credit/dual enrollment English composition I and II, where she provides students with college-level coursework that also satisfies high school graduation requirements. Johnson is a National Board Certified Teacher and also serves as an English lead teacher supporting the entire English-Language Arts Department at Starkville High School.
Johnson believes the input from teachers on the council is important because they can share problems and concerns that leaders would not be able to see unless they were in a classroom. Teachers experience all the rewards and challenges that come with helping students and are able to provide a multitude of perspectives. Bringing classroom issues to light is one thing that attracted Johnson to this leadership opportunity.
“By discussing those issues, we can collaborate and develop effective solutions that will benefit all Mississippi schools and the state as a whole,” she said. “We are always better together. Teacher input is invaluable. No one knows the profession, the challenges, and the joys better than the teachers in the trenches everyday.”
Johnson hopes that being part of the council will allow her to share more of the real-world issues that teachers face with the decision makers who impact the field of education the most.
“Teachers work with students every single day, and we know our kids,” she shared. “Listening to teachers provides insight into what works and what doesn’t. It also treats teachers as valued professionals who are experts in the field.”
“We are very proud of Ms. Johnson for earning this leadership opportunity with the Mississippi Teacher Advisory Council,” said SOCSD Superintendent Tony McGee. “We know that excellent teachers are essential for student success. Ms. Johnson’s insight into the teaching profession, as well as the every day issues facing our boys and girls in the classroom will be valuable for our state leaders to hear.”
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