When I look at the lives of some people, I can’t help but wonder if they are cut from a different cloth to most of us. Their courage in the face of challenges, their resilience, their vision and their achievements are so impressive that my imagination wonders what the world would look like if their passion were multiplied.
Few can match Tiffany Anderson. Elegantly dressed, with a colourful scarf that tells a story, and wearing the white sneakers that have become her trademark, Tiffany gives the impression of walking the corridors of the schools she manages. She listens to everyone, young and old, and easily learns their joys and sorrows.
Tiffany’s story began in an African-American family. Her father was a pastor and everything in her family revolved around faith and serving those in need. She honed her passion for education at Saint Louis University, where she earned two doctorates in elementary education and educational leadership.
The first school she led as superintendent in 2001 taught her many things that she carries with her today. She was shocked by the condition of the school in Saint Louis, where the roof was so broken that it rained in the classrooms. “I asked the teachers how they taught this way, and one said, ‘Around the buckets, baby—how would you teach?'” This cheerful response from a colleague taught her that you often have to make do with what you have, without giving in to defeatism.
The colourful scarves she wears are in memory of Rodney, a 10-year-old boy at the same school. Rodney was sometimes on the streets because his mother was a drug addict. One night he was mauled by stray dogs just a few blocks from school. When she angrily asked neighbours if they had heard screams, one parent replied that in that neighbourhood, when they hear screams, they lock the doors. If they hear screams and gunshots, they must hide under the bed. This changed the way she taught and dealt with problems. She realised that fear and crime shape children and adults and how they relate to each other. She realised that she also needed to help solve community problems.
In 2012, she was assigned to manage the Jennings district, known for having the lowest performing school system in America. The predominantly black community had a school budget deficit of about $1.8 million, its accreditation was in jeopardy because only 57% of standards were met, and 90% of students received free meals or substantial discounts.
Tiffany’s commute to the Jennings schools took nearly four hours, so she got used to waking up at 2 a.m. to be on the road at 4 a.m. She began by getting to know the district’s seven schools, the community, and its needs. She mingled with students, ate meals in the cafeteria with the staff, talked openly with teachers about problems and sought solutions for parents. The funerals of children or parents, which were so frequent because of the high crime rate, always devastated her.
Because she didn’t have enough money in her budget to solve the problems, she began to look for help through collaborations. A food bank helped her set up a project to help poor families. The University of Washington helped her set up a children’s ward in every school and arrange for a paediatrician. Also with outside help, she was able to refurbish an abandoned building to provide shelter for homeless children. She obtained scholarships for poor and high-achieving students and set up a teacher evaluation and development programme.
Because many high school girls didn’t finish school due to unexpected pregnancies, she developed a programme to help girls stay in school. One of those girls is Gabby Scott. Gabby found out she was pregnant when she was 15 and was convinced there was no way she could finish high school. Tiffany’s programme helped keep her from giving up, and in 2016 she graduated from high school as the student council president with the highest grade point average in her high school. Tiffany also introduced laundromats in schools. Parents could wash clothes in exchange for volunteer hours. That’s how she brought parents together and brought them closer to the school.
In 2014, when students in Ferguson, the county next to Jennings, wanted to protest against the police for shooting a black student, Tiffany didn’t resist. She even arranged for buses to take them to the protests and back in time for classes. She wanted them to learn to take a stand without forgetting to be responsible.
She couldn’t have done anything on her own, Tiffany admits. Dozens of people supported her ambitious plans. She’s grateful to them all and never forgets to show it. Her car is always full of flowers, birthday presents, and cards for her students, which she sometimes writes in while pressing against the steering wheel. But most of all she is grateful to her family, her husband, and her two children, who are now at university. They are the ones who have supported and inspired her to carry on.
Little did anyone know that while Tiffany was doing all this, back at home, her husband, Stan, a brilliant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Kansas City Hospital, was battling cancer. They kept the disease a secret and forged ahead, convinced they had a mission to fulfil. She says they did this because they believe they have a purpose in life, a spiritual purpose. They didn’t feel that a terminal diagnosis changed that purpose in any way. Tiffany used to joke about their mission. She said to her husband that he brought the children into the world and then she took care of them.
“From birth to 12th grade, that’s what we do!”
By 2016, the eight-hour commute had become too much, as she couldn’t be with her husband all the time. So she decided to transfer to a county that was closer to home, Topeka, but that had just as many problems. When she left Jennings, there was no more talk of losing accreditation, national standards were being met at 81 per cent, and the community of teachers and students was united and eager to contribute.
The first day of her second year in Topeka coincided with the death of her husband. He had worked until the last two weeks of his life. Although his loss broke her heart, her faith and courage never wavered.
Tiffany says she sees it this way: you can either embrace grief or choose joy. She chose joy and says she feels fortunate to have had 24 wonderful years with an amazing, beautiful man who shaped and inspired her. Her career, she says, is a testament to their 24-year love story.
On her way to school—with Stan’s picture on the dashboard, the Bible between the front seats of the car and Martin Luther King’s sermons playing in the background—Tiffany tells all this to a journalist, who is impressed by the woman whose love, faith and courage have taught her to change the world around her.
