6 • MAY 2022
READERSPOTLIGHTAbbyJOHNSTONWhy did you decide to make Madisonyour home?I decided to move back home to Madison in Mayof 2021 when I was offered a teaching position atMadison Central High School. I have always wantedto be a teacher, and teaching at MCHS had been adream of mine ever since I graduated from there in2017. Not long after I accepted the position, I boughta house in Tidewater, the neighborhood I grew up inin Madison. Everything just sort of fell into place, andthis past year has truly been a full-circle moment!How long have you lived in Madison?I have lived in Madison for my entire 23 yearsof life – except for the four years I spent in Oxfordwhile attending Ole Miss.Tell us about your family.I tell everyone that I am an exact blend of myparents. My dad, Arthur, is a lawyer-turned-publicservant,and my mom, Beverly, is a retired elementaryschool principal. Not only have they fostered in mea love for politics (from Dad) and public education(from Mom), but they have been incredible rolemodels for what it means to wholeheartedly devoteoneself to leadership, community service, andcommunity involvement. I also have two youngersisters. Anna is a sophomore at Ole Miss, and Averyis a 10th grader at Madison Central (Yes, we go tothe same school. No, I don’t teach her. Yes, it is asawesome as it seems).Share some things you enjoy doing inyour spare time.As an English teacher, I feel obligated to say reading.I have recently been reading presidential memoirsand biographies and have learned quite a lot ofAmerican history along the way.I also enjoy spending time at home, eitherdecorating and cleaning inside or getting the outsideready for summer. My house is quite the fixer-upper,so it seems there is always something to do. Next upon my to-do list: plant hydrangea bushes.I am also learning to grill, and I enjoy having mysisters and parents over to my house for family dinners.Where are your three favorite placesto eat in Madison?Primos Café – Ever since I was a little girl, mydad has taken my sisters and me to breakfast onSaturday mornings. Primos in Madison is our favoriteSaturday morning stop. I also consider myself to bequite the cheese grits connoisseur, and I swear theirsare the best!El Ranchito – AKA my family’s second home.For as long as I can remember, my family has spent atleast one meal a week at “The Mexican.” We neverneed a menu, our Christmas card hangs on their treeevery Christmas, and there is not a family event thatwe haven’t celebrated with a meal at El Ran.Cups Madison – I love the atmosphere and enjoypopping in on the way to school for a blueberry sconeand a Capitol Street Latte.Who is someone you admire and why?I consider myself to be extremely lucky in thatI am constantly surrounded by admirable andinspiring people – my coworkers and my familymembers especially. However, I have found myselfrecently inspired by Mrs. Charlotte Seals, thesuperintendent of Madison County Schools.She leads our district with grace, eloquence, anda palpable compassion for students and teachers.She has had to make many difficult decisions as oflate – from COVID-19 protocols to inclementweather advisories. Her strength, determination,and positive attitude through it all is so inspiring.Plus, I think it is pretty awesome that we have afemale at the helm of our school district.What are some fun things to do inMadison on the weekends?After our father-daughter Saturday morningbreakfast, I love to walk on the Natchez Trace Trail.And I am a big believer in the power of retailtherapy. I enjoy shopping around town, whether itbe for new clothes, home décor, or my personalfavorite—new shoes!I also enjoy supporting my students andcheering on the jags, whether that be at footballgames, basketball games, show choir performances,or helping backstage with our annual beautypageant. There is always something going on atMCHS, seven days a week!Where do you see yourself ten yearsfrom now?This is quite the difficult question. SometimesI can picture myself as that old lady still teaching atage 80, so I can totally see myself doing what I’mdoing now in 10 years. However, some days I think Imight like to do a complete career change and go tolaw school or put my public policy degree to use andget into politics. As my grandfather used to say…“only God and Jesus know what the future holds”and neither one of them have told me yet!What is your favorite childhood memory?Growing up, my mom was the principal atMadison Station Elementary, so I spent a largemajority of my childhood at the school. I can vividlyremember spending afternoons and days on endduring the summer helping mom around thebuilding, helping teachers decorate their classrooms,and playing school with my sisters. This placebecame a sort of second home for me, and thefaculty and staff were (and still are) my extendedfamily. It was quite the preparation for what I’m upto now, and I will always be grateful for the manychildhood memories made at MSE.If you could give us one encouragingquote, what would it be?My grandmother had this quote framed andhanging in her house, and I now have it hanging inmy classroom. It is an awesome reminder to bothme and my students that success is so much morethan a letter grade or a paycheck:“To laugh often and much; to win the respectof intelligent people and the affection of children;to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endurethe betrayal of false friends; to appreciate the beauty;to find the best in others; to leave the world a bitbetter, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch ora redeemed social condition; to know even one lifehas breathed easier because you have lived. This isto have succeeded!” -Ralph Waldo EmersonHometown MADISON • 7