(Photo from Ivy Greene Academy website)
- Dr. Donna Akers says if Mississippi truly wants to prepare students for lifelong success, we need to recognize that no single approach will fit every learner.
After more than 30 years in Mississippi’s public schools, I’ve seen the classroom change in ways I never imagined. When I first started teaching, education was about discovery. Students explored, asked questions, and learned to love learning. Somewhere along the way, that joy disappeared.
Unfortunately, our education system has replaced creativity with compliance. Teachers are told what to teach, when to teach it, and how to test it. Students are expected to meet one-size-fits-all benchmarks that rarely account for who they are or where they come from. Education in Mississippi has become prescribed, and the joy of learning has been replaced by anxiety and exhaustion.
I didn’t always want to be a teacher. As a student at Ole Miss, I honestly picked education as a major because I thought it would be the easiest option. But after stepping into the classroom, I quickly discovered that teaching was my calling. I loved watching my students grow and succeed, especially those in my special education classes who often had to work twice as hard for half the recognition. Their victories, large and small, were the highlight of my career.
But over the years, I began to notice a shift. The focus moved away from students and toward standardized tests and rigid curriculum maps. Teachers were no longer trusted as professionals to meet the needs of their students. We were handed scripts and timelines. We were told to keep pace with the calendar instead of the child.
It became clear that the system cared more about scores than students.
When I questioned decisions that hurt kids, like removing pre-algebra from special education students, I faced pushback and was eventually transferred out of the classroom I loved. That was the moment I realized the system wasn’t going to change from within.
I wanted something better for my students, and for my own child. So I began looking for a new way to teach.
In my search, I found Acton Academy, a learner-driven education model that allows students to take ownership of their education. Instead of memorizing information for a test, students at Acton schools explore real-world problems, collaborate, and learn from one another. It reignites the curiosity that every child naturally has.
In 2020, I opened Ivy Greene Academy in Pontotoc using this model. What I’ve seen since then has been nothing short of inspiring. Without the pressure of standardized testing, students rediscover the joy of learning. They take pride in setting goals, completing projects, and helping their peers. The energy in the classroom is infectious.
While we’re only able to serve a handful of students at Ivy Greene, there are countless children across Mississippi who could thrive in an environment like this if their families had the freedom to choose it. That’s why I support education freedom.
Every child learns differently. Some do well in their assigned public school. Others need something different, like smaller settings, individualized attention, or hands-on learning. Education freedom means giving families the ability to choose the environment that fits their child best, whether that’s a public school, private school, charter school, or microschool like mine.
Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) are one way to make that possible. They allow parents to use a portion of their child’s state education funding for education expenses like tuition, tutoring, or specialized programs. ESAs could open the door for more families to access personalized learning that meets their child’s needs.
Certainly, Mississippi has made great progress in education over the past decade, but we still have a long way to go. If we truly want to prepare students for lifelong success, we need to recognize that no single approach will fit every learner. We need to trust parents and teachers again.
But change won’t come unless we ask for it. That’s why I’m encouraging parents, grandparents, and teachers to speak up. Reach out to your lawmakers and tell them it’s time to give families more freedom in education. Our children’s future depends on it.
As a lifelong educator, I know what it looks like when students are happy, confident, and engaged. It’s a beautiful thing to witness, and every child in Mississippi deserves that experience. Let’s give them the freedom to pursue it.
