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Hebron

     After things at Strider fell apart, I felt that Bradshaw's influence kept me from getting a job closer to Grenada. While I did not want to leave Pat behind, I had to take the job at Hebron. I wanted to find out if an MPSA/MAIS school could exist without the overbearing influence of Joe Bradshaw. Thankfully, many at Hebron felt the same way I did regarding Bradshaw. I also experienced a more deliberate Christian influence for the days I was there (Hebron, and later CCA, were established much later than "Segregation Academies" like Strider, Kirk, Hertiage, Pillow, and North Sunflower were). One downside at the beginning was having to moonlight in Columbus for Papa John's in an attempt to make up the income I lost at Strider. After a promising start, I began to lose control of my students--even, for the first time, seniors. Then burnout came from my side job. I prematurely quit it after thinking I would get an adjunct position at EMCC after Christmas. Eventually Coach Pearson felt that despite my Christian influence, there was no achievement taking place. At least he paid me the remainder of my contract, which was helpful as Pat finally found a job in Starkville and we found more suitable housing to begin what we thought would be many happy years there.

     NOTEWORTHY:  I had an interview there in August 2009, a few days before school started; but I was not offered the position. By then Pearson had moved out of administration and was teaching and coaching at a private school in Pickens County Alabama. I also made at least one more attempt to teach there in the mid-2010s when we were living in Columbus. Again, this would not happen.  Hebron would also be the last school where I would teach math. I was promised to teach math when I returned to Strider in 2017, but ended up teaching science (pretty much an extended sub gig) and social studies (after the school found out that the woman teaching that did not graduate from college).  The next year I was also told that I would teach middle school math in East Tallahatchie; but ended up teaching high school Spanish due to the district having problems finding a teacher in that field).

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