Much of Angela Griffin’s life has been devoted to the Clarksdale Municipal School District.
Griffin, a 1992 Clarksdale High School graduate, earned a degree in pre-pharmacy from Coahoma Community College in 1994 and a Bachelor’s Degree in biology with a minor in English from the University of Mississippi in 1999.
Griffin has been teaching in the CMSD ever since for the past 22 school years. She spent her first 16 years at WA Higgins Middle School teaching grades seven to nine. Her courses included Biology I, compensatory mathematics, pre-algebra and Algebra I.
The late Timothy Burrel, also a longtime District 3 representative on the Coahoma County Board of Supervisors, was the principal at the beginning of Griffin’s tenure. Pauline Rhodes, who would go on to be the Coahoma County School District Superintendent, was also Griffin’s principal for some of her tenure at Higgins.
Griffin found in many instances she had to adjust to make sure her students learned properly. She was teaching at a time when students did not have graphing calculators and had to use graph paper, but things changed.
“As time has changed, I had to embrace the graphing calculator,” Griffin said. “I had to embrace that because of everything was, when I initially started teaching, time was not considered when you tested. Well, now, you are timed, so based on using methods that you can use algebraically that’s working it out pencil and paper versus a strategy with a manipulative like the calculator, it just encompasses everything that the student can see wholeheartedly or, as I would say, whole thinking.”
Griffin implemented high ordered thinking skills with test questions and strategies to make sure her students were still learning properly.
She is now in her fifth year teaching at J W Stampley 9th Grade Academy where she teaches algebra. She took the position while Herbert Smith, currently the Clarksdale High School principal, was the principal.
“He actually asked me to come over here,” Griffin said. “He heard I was a good math teacher. He wanted me, so I talked to my husband (Leardis) about it. He was like don’t be too hasty about it. Just think about it or whatever.”
Griffin decided it was time to try something new and said Smith was a mentor to her.
“He is the epitome of a leader,” Griffin said.
Shawanda Shaw is the current principal and Griffin said she is learning something new every day working for her.
Again, Griffin found she was making adjustments and step up when needed to be the best possible teacher at Stampley. She has been the only algebra teacher at the school for some of her tenure. There was no Algebra I teacher at Clarksdale High School during the 2019-20 school year, so Griffin taught the course there during the afternoons.
Griffin also taught biology at Stampley before moving to algebra.
“We had just adopted the common core, so actually, when Mr. Smith asked me to teach biology, that’s when we were changing over to common core,” Griffin said. “So it was like a new experience for me because it was standards that I would have to teach that I didn’t have to teach prior to adopting common core. It’s been good.”
Griffin said she can tell students have a knack for math when they are able to read it.
“I’ve never heard anybody actually just say this or coin this, but I say if you can read the math, you know what to do,” she said. “Some students can read it. That is reading. If you read it just like you read a book, just like you read the newspaper, just like you read those posts on Facebook, you read math the same way. That’s how you know what to do.”
Looking back on her 22 years in the CMSD, Griffin adjusted her teaching style.
When she was young, she recalled students did not take her seriously. She would go home and her husband would console her.
“I just kind of got fun with it and I started talking with the students more,” Griffin said. “But a revelation so late in my teaching career and what I mean by late I mean a few years ago. I can’t call the student’s name. We started having what’s called data talk. When we have data talk, we just tell the students, ‘OK, this is what you made last year. This is what you need to grow.’ I track that. It’s been hard to do that virtually to have data talk, but I would call them up to my desk one by one, explain to them, ‘This is where you are. This is what you need to be to grow and if you want to grow a whole other level or maybe two levels, this is what you need.’ I remind them that they can do that. It’s easy. I say, ‘I promise you. It’s easy.’ So this student came up to my desk. She struggled so hard and I really realized students kind of struggle making the connection the first, second nine weeks. By the third nine weeks, maybe they just start putting everything together and say, ‘OK, Ms. Griffin, I got it. I got it.’ So she was struggling. She came to my desk and I said, ‘Tell me how you did it.’”
Griffin became teary eyed as she told the story.
“She said, ‘Ms. Griffin, I just know I did good. I just know I did good,’” Griffin said. “So when I told her what she made and how she much she grew, she started crying. I started crying. That just says something to me.”
Griffin said she has had a similar feeling when other students have emailed her with success stories.
She has taught all three of her children at one time or another and they have not received any special treatment. They earned A’s and B’s in her classes.
Griffin’s oldest child, Learla, 18, just graduated from Clarksdale High School, played basketball and volleyball, attends Coahoma Community College and wants to be forensic scientist. Laylah, 15, is a sophomore at CHS. Lauren, 14, is a freshman at Stampley.
“My middle girl was telling my baby girl about how I explain it or whatever and she likes the way I explain,” Griffin said. “I briefly taught the oldest girl. She was actually in my biology class. That was when they moved me to algebra and I just taught her maybe a couple of months because Mr. Smith needed me in algebra and I had to move back to algebra within the school year. But she liked the way I explain because I feel like we follow the Madeline Hunter lesson plan model. We have so many minutes in every area, but I just feel like guided practice is so important because you have to be very explicit when you’re explaining it and make sure that the students understand. You can’t make any mistakes. That’s where I like to spend most of my time with guided practice in explaining to students why we’re doing this, what could happen if you don’t do this and so on.”
Unconventional route
The 22 years of changing lives in her alma mater almost did not happen for Griffin.
While Griffin was attending the University of Mississippi, her uncle, Jimmie Pittman, who was the principal at George H. Oliver Elementary School, convinced her to start substituting in the CMSD on her off days. She wanted to go into medical technology when she was in high school and knew she wanted to do something related to biology for a living when she was in college, but she had not made a career decision.
“He said, ‘Well, Angel, all you’ve got to do is you can go the alternate route,’” Griffin said. “I said, ‘Well, what is alternate route?’ He said, ‘If you’re not taking education courses or you’re not going under education, you can take three classes. When you take those three classes, they’ll give you a license.’ At the time, I think it was a five-year and then you will have to stay in that area and teach five years and then you can get a renewal. That’s how I got my license.”
Rhodes convinced Griffin to get a math endorsement on her teaching license while she was working at Higgins teaching biology.
“I was on my way home and she had viewed my transcript and she said, ‘Ms. Griffin, I see that you have a lot of hours in math,’” Griffin said. “At the time, you could have 18 hours and math endorsement on your license. So I said, ‘I just don’t know about that right now.’ I said, ‘I’ll let you know tomorrow,’ so I went home and I thought about it and that’s been my passion ever since.”
Griffin has endorsements in biology, English and math on her teaching license.
Griffin started teaching Biology I and credits Tamara Billingsley, who currently teaches at Clarksdale High, with taking her under her wing and helping her.
“It was a real learning experience because, like now, I talk to this second-year teacher and I’ve explained to her the challenges that there are being a first-year teacher with no one to talk to,” Griffin said. “But someone who has always been there for me as far as what I go through in teaching is Ms. La Fiesta Williams Roland.”
Roland’s father helped build McCloud Jr. High in Farrell in 1947-48. Her father was the principal there while her mother was a teacher for 41 years.
Griffin’s husband, Leardis, has made a big difference.
“Aside from that, my husband has been very, very helpful with me in analyzing things,” Griffin said. “He has no connection with the school district. He was a deputy sheriff for a long time, but he was in an accidental shooting, so he’s on disability right now.
“I remember days coming home, every day just about just crying. We would just sit in the bed and watch TV.”
After all of the unexpected turns, 22 years into her tenure with the CMSD, Griffin said there is “no doubt” she will be there until she retires.
“I just love the Clarksdale Municipal School District,” Griffin said.
Child influences
Griffin is the daughter of Aaron Gunn Jr. and the late Verlee Pittman Gunn.
Her mother died at age 45, but she worked in payroll at Info Lab on Highway 61 and was also an assistant parent coordinator with Sharon Montgomery in the CMSD for three years.
Griffin’s father sells things at Southern Pipe and Supply Company.
“Just about everybody knows him,” Griffin said.
“He just knows everything about Southern Pipe. He’s been there 50-plus years.”
Griffin’s parents did not have a college education, but their hard work inspired.
“They did (work hard) and they wanted us to have better,” Griffin said.
Griffin worked for pediatrician Dr. Peggy Wells after school to make money.
“That’s how I was able to buy my class ring,” Griffin said. “I bought my invitations. She has been a huge influence in my life.
“I think one of the reasons I like biology so much is because I was around her every day after school.”
Griffin’s dog
Just as Griffin’s career was not planned, she unexpectedly took a lab dog in her home that she loves.
“I just have a dog that I just really, really love. His name is Navarro. I have actually brought him up here (to Stampley) a couple of times when Mr. Smith was the principal during the summer for whatever.
“He’s old. We actually got him from my husband’s sister because they have no children and she’s married. They just didn’t have time. They were just on the go all the time.”
Griffin said she owes a lot to her husband as he has been instrumental in every situation in her life. That includes his influence to keep Navarro.
“At first I didn’t want him, but my husband was like, ‘Well, we’re just going to take him because Momma won’t be able to see after him,’” Griffin said. “So I grew on him. He’s just a calm old lab dog. He doesn’t play with any toys. He likes to sit in your lap and likes to be rubbed. He’ll take his paws and rub and scratch like your hand or your leg. That means he wants you to rub him.”
