Administrator of the Year

Tally Uses Multisensory Learning to Empower Readers

Leslie Tally, the 2021 Mississippi Teacher of the Year (MTOY), prepares her students to become lifelong learners by helping develop their most essential skill: reading.

Tally, a second grade teacher at Tupelo Public School District’s (TPSD’s) Lawhon Elementary School (LES), specializes in assisting students with dyslexia and other learning impediments in building confidence through non-traditional methods, including multisensory approaches. In her classroom, students of all abilities can be found each day spelling words in sand, tapping out syllables and using raised, bumpy implements as they trace over letters with their fingers.

When students unlock barriers to literacy, Tally said she sees them develop confidence, and this newfound confidence helps them take on future challenges and allows them to become the lifelong learners they deserve to be.

“Reading is centered in that core philosophy [of lifelong learning] because everything that you do as a reader propels you throughout your life. I want my students to understand the skills they’re learning right now influence where they can go after this and how far they go in life,” Tally said. “My goal for working with children, especially those who have learning deficits and don’t necessarily have the confidence they may need, is to have them ready to be able to do the things they would ultimately like to do.”

Tally began teaching 11 years ago after growing up in a family filled with teachers, including her father, a 47-year veteran educator. Her stints include teaching first, second and third grades for TPSD and the Lee County School District (LCSD).

“I always knew I would be a teacher,” she said. “It was just kind of a family profession — the most natural calling and natural path for me.”

For four years at LCSD, Tally taught a class customized for children with dyslexic tendencies, where she worked specifically to provide interventions to students who were weaker readers. Those interventions included intense, explicit, daily instruction and phonics skill-building exercises to help support fluency and comprehension.

That experience further developed Tally’s passion for assisting those who struggle with reading. She became interested in the Orton-Gillingham teaching style and was trained through the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education. This teaching style uses multisensory experiences to enrich learning — combining tactile feeling, sound, sight and smell together, for example, to enhance the reception of new skills and imprint them stronger for better long-term retention. This methodology, along with consistent review through daily drills, benefits all learners, Tally said, no matter their strengths or weaknesses.

“It’s wonderful for all students because it’s usually a more enjoyable learning experience,” she said. “Any time I can employ [multisensory activities] into my classroom instruction, whether it’s specifically through phonics or any other area of literacy, I try to do so because I know how much it enhances the learning process.”

LES Principal Ian Shumpert described Tally as a committed educator who is “always researching and always looking for the next best thing to do to try and serve and help children.”

“It’s just ridiculous how phenomenal this young lady is,” he said.

“I hired [Tally] when I first stepped on campus. You could tell then that teaching was more than a career for her; teaching is a calling for her, and I saw that right away. Some people interview well, but you could hear it [in Tally’s voice]. We didn’t want to stop talking to her during the interview; it was nothing like I’ve ever seen before in my life,” Shumpert added. “She’s phenomenal with students of all diversities, whether it’s a student with at-risk issues or a student that’s going to make the highest marks on tests the rest of their lives. She can reach them all; she can push them all; she’ll meet them where they are.”

Winning the 2021 MTOY award was a surreal experience, Tally said, even after earning numerous distinctions and awards for her teaching and service throughout the years at LCSD and TPSD. The award ceremony was conducted virtually, and Tally was able to share the experience at home with her family.

Besides recognizing exemplary teachers who inspire students, demonstrate leadership both in and out of the classroom and serve as active members of their community, the annual MTOY award also gives recipients a $5,000 stipend and provides them an avenue to share their expertise with other educators in the state.

“[My platform spotlights] the importance of literacy, research-based practices and making sure we’re aligned to the science in the way that we teach,” said Tally, who is expected to finish a dyslexia specialist certification this spring. “I’m just so excited to have that chapter under my belt and continue to share what I learn while I continue to learn.

“Not everyone has an opportunity to learn through [my specific experiences], so I try to compile those things I know specifically are helpful to me in the classroom and share those with other teachers,” she added. “Being able to influence others outside of the classroom has probably been one of the things I’m the proudest of. The more I can help other teachers, the more I can help students — it’s kind of that big-picture mentality but with little, little pieces at a time.”

Above: Students draw letters and shapes in trays filled with sand in Tally’s classroom. Adding tactile sensory experiences to reading exercises helps students understand information faster and retain knowledge longer. Opposite page: Lawhon Elementary second graders (from left to right) Evan Lanier, Annie Daher, Julie Sloan and Alana Perry work with Leslie Tally, the 2021 Mississippi Teacher of the Year. Tally uses Orton-Gillingham-based multisensory techniques in her classroom to develop language-based skills, including sight word retention and lettersound correspondences.

Miss� Schools Earn National Blue Ribbon Recognition

The U.S. Department of Education recognized four Mississippi schools among the 325 National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2021. The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

The recognized schools are Woolmarket Elementary School (Harrison County School District), Brandon Elementary School (Rankin County School District), East Hancock Elementary School (Hancock County School District) and Della Davidson Elementary School (Oxford School District).

“National Blue Ribbon schools are models of consistent excellence in teaching and learning, and these schools represent the high-quality education that takes place across Mississippi’s public schools,” said Dr. Carey Wright, the state superintendent of education. “I congratulate every teacher, school leader, student and family member who helped their school achieve this outstanding accomplishment.”

The coveted National Blue Ribbon Schools award affirms the hard work of educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content. Now in its 39th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed approximately 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools.

The U.S. Department of Education recognizes all schools in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates: Exemplary high-performing schools are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests, and exemplary achievement gap-closing schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s student groups and all students.

East Hancock Elementary School and Della Davidson Elementary School were recognized as exemplary high-performing schools. Woolmarket Elementary School and Brandon Elementary School were recognized as exemplary achievement gapclosing schools.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona commended the 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools for working to keep students healthy and safe while meeting their academic, social, emotional and mental health needs.

“This year’s cohort of honorees demonstrates what is possible when committed educators and school leaders create vibrant, welcoming, and affirming school cultures where rich teaching and learning can flourish,” Cardona said. “In the face of unprecedented circumstances, you found creative ways to engage, care for, protect and teach our children.”

Up to 420 schools may be nominated each year. The department invites nominations from the top education official in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Bureau of Indian Education. The Council for American Private Education nominates private schools.