Mon, 01/23/2023 – 09:47am | | Author: Van Arnold
From grocery store cashier to school superintendent, Talia Locke rode her runaway dreams through every brick wall her life threw her way. The nameplate on the door reads: Talia Lock” is a title earned through a combination of unwavering support, good timing, and exceptional grit.
Honestly, grit might be the most important thing.
How often young women become secondary school teachers in their hometowns. Who will rise to the high school principal in the same city and eventually win the honor of district president? And all until the age of 44.
Under Locke’s impressive leadership, Long Beach School District was named the state’s top school district for 2022 by the Mississippi Board of Education. A University of Southern Mississippi (USM) alumnus, Lock points out that all five of his schools in the district are now A-rated. She said this recognition directly reflects the hard work and dedication of the district’s teachers, students, support staff, administrators, and families.
“We are proud of what we have achieved just one year after the (COVID-19) pandemic,” said Lock. “The hashtag for 2020 was ‘APART but Together’. As a team, we have overcome obstacles and difficult situations together. But with enthusiasm, persistence, and a strategic plan in place, The students have had the opportunity to succeed, and it’s clear that they not only met the challenge head-on, but went above and beyond.”
Rock began his career as a teacher at Central Elementary School in Gulfport, Michigan before taking a position as an 8th grade language teacher at Long Beach Middle School. She served as the principal teacher at Long Beach High School from 2014 to 2015, and from 2015 to 2018, she served as assistant principal.
determination of a young mother
Rock knows a thing or two about staring at a challenge that might otherwise derail your dreams. At the age of 20, while she was working as a grocery store clerk, she gave birth to twin boys, Aiden Gunter Locke and Dalton Jeffrey Locke. With her high school education and not appreciating her skills as a worker, Locke is determined to work through her own constrained situation.
“I was fortunate to have a very supportive husband (Jeffrey Locke) who believed in me more than I believed in myself,” Locke said. He was a parking lot cleaner when the kids went back to school when they were one. He would go home and sleep during the day so he could go to night school, and he would go to work as soon as I got home, hoping to give them a better life than I could have provided at the time. A lot has happened, but it has made us all stronger and never stopped us from working hard to achieve what we wanted as a family.”
She added: “It definitely made me who I am today.”
Locke says her husband never had the chance to pursue a college degree but enjoyed a successful career in business/retail management. He died in 2009 from complications from diabetes.
Rock adds that the Moxie she nurtured while pursuing her professional career can be directly attributed to her time as a student at USM. She explained that college is the ideal place for her and her family.
“I believe it shaped me in many ways,” she said. It has taught me how to network with other like-minded people, and it has taught me to teach children, especially in the field of literature. It gave me a stronger passion for teaching, and my PhD taught me that with hard work, I can achieve goals that I might have thought were unattainable.”
USM provides mentorship
She came to the Hattiesburg campus as a transfer student from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. After earning her Bachelor of Elementary Education degree from USM (certified in Elementary Education 4-8, Kindergarten-4, English 7-12, Reading K-12), Locke studied at William Shelter in Special Education from Cary College. earned her master’s degree with the accreditation of She got her Ph.D. She demonstrated her educational leadership at USM.
When asked to recall his fondest memories at USM, Lock mentions his relationship with his professor. She credits the USM faculty with providing the foundation for her teaching career, citing the mentorship of Dr. David Lee and her Dr. Thelma Roberson.
“They taught me a lot. They’re still my mentors,” Locke said. “If I need advice or a lunch date, I know I can call them. Those are the types of professors who make a difference in people’s lives, they certainly were mine.
Lee, an associate professor in USM’s School of Education and Human Sciences, admires a former student. He points out that her efforts were exceptional, as she was always soaring above her expectations in class assignments.
“I am very proud of her accomplishments as a school leader,” he said. “She heads one of the top school systems in the state. I now know firsthand that her staff respect and support her. She has a unique ability to motivate and encourage others through her hard work.Leaders like her inspire us to expect the best in our schools. and community assets.”
Talk about black and gold bleeding USM. Both of Lock’s sons graduated from his alma mater. Dalton Rock, a USM Lucky Day scholar, works for Pepsi Corporation in Texarkana, Texas and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (Louisiana State University). Aiden Lock is following in his mother’s footsteps as a special education teacher at Pass Christian (Mississippi) Elementary School.
Lock enjoys sharing poignant stories about Dalton that happened during his PhD at USM. Understanding the tensions she faced as her wife, her mother, teacher, and graduate student, the caring young man wrote a letter to her mother that she kept in her hands. Some of the are:
“Dear Mama, I want to be your mother and everyone wants it. If you were there, we would all be happier. Thank you for all the classes and homework you’ve taken.” I realize all the stress that comes with it.Also thank you for always putting me first.I want to be the man you expect me to be.I just want to say thank you.You will soon become Dr. Locke.
lead by example
The Long Beach School District currently has 242 teachers and a total of 419 employees. As of December 1, the school district included 2,920 students. Lock finds immense satisfaction in working closely with the district’s students, faculty, and staff. She cites “her interpersonal skills” as one of her strengths.
Her transition from teacher to administrator reinforced her desire to connect with her students. Locke notes that her teachers become invested in the individuals who make up the classroom. She identifies the needs, interests, likes and dislikes of her students. Leaving that intimate environment requires a focused effort to keep in touch.
“Anyone who gets an education for a good reason knows that students are a joy,” Locke said. “So in this position, it’s about going to extracurricular activities to see students doing what they love, going to every school at least once a week, popping into classrooms, talking to students in the hallways, I made it a priority to eat, with them in the cafeteria.”
This fall, we launched the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Team to measure student appreciation of the district’s efforts. She also started the Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Board to review faculty perspectives. “Teachers need to feel like they have a say in what’s going on in their district,” she explained.
Justin Sutton succeeded The Rock as principal of Long Beach High School. Sutton first met her when she was transferred from her position as assistant principal at her Springs High School. From the beginning he was impressed.
“She stood out as someone who would be a great leader,” said Sutton. “When I got to work with her during the transition, I quickly learned that she was someone who cared deeply about the City of Long Beach and the Long Beach School District. He stood out as someone who tried his best and believed in everyone’s potential.”
Sutton has said that his boss actually possesses leadership qualities that are impossible to calculate.
“Her desire to see the Long Beach School District succeed cannot be quantified,” he said. Meet her at Etc. She devotes her time to the school district as a whole.She cares about the academic success of students during high school and their success in life after high school. “
Funny enough, the girl from a quaint coastal town in Mississippi once aspired to be a famous actress and singer. She even harbored her idea of becoming a hairdresser. Instead, as a respected and accomplished educator, she became a role model for young women in Southern Mississippi.
Locke likes to refer to passages from Randy Pausch’s book The Last Lecture when describing her personal adventures.
“Brick walls are there for a reason. They are not there to keep us out. They give us the opportunity to show how much we want something. The brick wall is there to stop people who don’t want it.”
Brick walls don’t scare Dr. Talia Locke. “All my experiences have taught me one important lesson: perseverance,” she said. “It’s never easy. Nothing of value comes easy. But once you get the job done, it feels great and you have time to stop and be proud of yourself.”
