2001 Mississippi Teacher of the Year
Ms. Parker is a teacher at Tupelo Middle School in Tupelo, Mississippi. She has been teaching for twelve years and is currently teaching intellectually gifted students at the grade eight level.

What are your beliefs about teaching?
"All children have gifts; they just open them on different occasions."

How are your beliefs incorporated in your teaching style?
"I use activities designed for multiple intelligence levels."

What is your greatest teaching accomplishment?
"My greatest accomplishment was having a dysgraphic student who composed at the computer. Another accomplishment of mine is NBPTS (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards)."

What's the most critical issue facing educators today and what do you think can be done to resolve this issue?
"The most critical issue for educators today is the teacher shortage. This issue could be resolved through more teacher recruitment and training."

Inspirational thought:
"We're training the leaders who will be there in our old age."