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For Anthony Jackson, being an elementary school principal is not just a career but a way of life, one that he leads with purpose, intentionality, and an infectious joy that impacts every student he encounters.
Jackson joined the Monticello Elementary School team in 2019. Initially hired as assistant principal, he became lead principal in 2025, a role he has found very rewarding.
“I love being an administrator in this particular area,” he shared in a recent interview.
This school year marks Jackson’s 27th year in education. His first teaching role came in the fall of 2000, when he was hired as a kindergarten teacher with the Drew Central School District. He served in that capacity until the spring of 2001, when he said he became homesick. He returned to Fordyce, his hometown, and remained there for 19 years, teaching a combination of kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. He served as dean of students for kindergarten through fourth grade for two years, which motivated him to return to college and earn a master's in educational leadership. When the opening for assistant principal at MES was announced, Jackson said he jumped at the opportunity.
“I love lower elementary,” he said.
He noted that moving into administration after years of teaching has given him a helpful balance of perspective.
“Having been on the teacher's side, I see things from their perspective, but I know that, as the administrator, there’s a responsibility that my district leader is holding me to in terms of the building where I serve,” he said.
Jackson said his philosophy has been greatly shaped by the leadership of Monticello School District’s Superintendent Sandra Lanehart.
“Mrs. Lanehart has always reminded us that ‘we’re in the kid business,’” he said. “That’s embedded in my heart.”
He said this sentiment is at the forefront of every teacher’s, administrator’s, and support staff member’s mind and remains at the core of Monticello Elementary’s day-to-day operations.
“Everybody knows why we are here; we are here for the kids,” he said.
He compares the quality of a student’s education—as they move from elementary to middle to high school—to a house's durability.
“If you don't have a good foundation, it's not going to last,” he said.
To give students this strong foundation, Jackson said, it takes all MES staff working together.
“We’re seeing now that student success is a shared responsibility,” he said.
Beyond supporting students academically, Jackson is known for supporting them socially and emotionally, consistently greeting them as they step off the bus and walk through the doors of the school each morning, and even when he sees them out in the community.
“I know how I feel when somebody calls me by name,” he said. “That says they've taken the time to know my name and to recognize my face.”
Overall, he wants students to feel good about coming to school.
“I definitely believe in making kids feel like this is a place that they want to be,” he shared.
He also wants both students and parents to know that MES is a safe place to be.
“We have protocols and procedures in place to keep our students as well as our staff safe.”
These procedures include regular fire and tornado drills, safety inspections, and traffic direction. The school has also implemented a rigorous check-in and check-out system to ensure no students are unaccounted for and no unknown visitors are in the building.
Jackson urges parents to stay in communication with the school by downloading the Monticello School District app, which provides important district- and school-specific information, a calendar of events, emergency alerts, and more, and lets parents and teachers message each other directly as needed.
“If parents aren’t connected to the app, a lot of times they may get information secondhand, and that information can be misleading and cause further alarms,” he said.
Outside of school, Jackson enjoys watching movies, spending time with friends, shopping, and singing. He can also be found regularly spending time in the community he now calls home.
“I believe you cannot work in a school district that's part of the community and not be engaged with the community,” he said.
Jackson thanks the many friends, family, and invested community members who helped shape him into the man and leader he has become, notably Joe Alexander, Jr., one of his Phi Beta Sigma fraternity brothers, and his father, who raised Jackson as a single parent.
He recalled fond memories with Alexander, who Jackson said seemed to know from the start that he was meant for leadership.
“He always told me that there was more to me than the classroom,” Jackson said.
“I remember when I was the dean of students, he jokingly called me a ‘knockoff principal.’ And I decided I didn't want to be a knockoff principal,” he shared with a laugh.
Even on his most challenging days, Jackson says the students at Monticello Elementary School inspire him to persevere and remind him of the joy and purpose in his work.
“Sometimes when I’m at my lowest, it’s the smiles, it’s the hugs, it’s the ‘hey, Mr. Jackson!’ that make me feel like I’m a superstar and that I can do anything,” he said.
He looks forward to serving the children and families of Monticello for many years to come.
“Monticello has been good to me, and the people of Monticello have made being here a great place to be,” he said.
