Joshua Lindsey

Hometown
Diamondhead, MS (South)
Quick Intro
Joshua Lindsey graduated from the University of Mississippi with a B.A. in English and political science and a M.A. in Educational Leadership. He joined the SOE Board of Advisors in Fall 2024.

Home
Joshua Lindsey

About Joshua

Joshua Lindsey has been an educator and coach for over two decades. He began working with young people while still enrolled at The University of Mississippi as a counselor the Summer College for High School Students, eventually becoming the assistant director. He also was an assistant coach for the Oxford High School Soccer team.

After graduating in 2001 with Bachelor's degrees in English and Political Science, along with an alternate route teacher's license with endorsements in 7-12 English and Social Studies, he returned home to Petal Mississippi where he taught English and coached soccer for one year. He then moved to Gulf Coast where he became the head boys soccer coach at Hancock High School and taught various English classes ranging from 7th grade to English II and senior English II re-testers In addition, he and his wife, Kristi, became the youth leaders at their church in Diamondhead. After briefly being displaced to Dallas, TX by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Josh and Kristi returned to the Coast and continued their careers.

In 2013, Josh was named the Teacher of the Year for the state of Mississippi, and in 2014, he entered the Principal Corps program at the The University of Mississippi. After earning his Masters in Ed Leadership, he served as an assistant principal at Hancock Middle School for two years, and then moved on to the Gulfport School District as the principal of West Elementary School for the next 5 years. Next, he moved into a Central Office role as curriculum director for English and Social Studies before finally settling at Gulfport High School as the Site Level Curriculum Director and Assistant Principal. Josh is passionate about educating young people and empowering them to be the leaders for the future.

Q & A

What led you to want to serve on the School of Education Board of Advisors?

The University of Mississippi is a very important part of my life and my education. The Principal Corps experience was life-changing for me as it prepared me to seek to make an even bigger impact on the future of leaders of our state and nation. Participating on the SOE Board of Advisors will hopefully allow me to share my experiences with even more individuals who will make great gains in the world of education as we continue to capitalize on the present momentum of improving the education and, ultimately, the lives of teachers and students in Mississippi.

Mississippi Teacher Corps

Why did you choose to attend UM and the School of Education?

The Principal Corps program is one of the premier educator leadership programs in all of the South. I loved my undergraduate time at UM, and the opportunity to attend this outstanding program at the University that already meant so much to me was ideal.

Tell us about your favorite professor(s) at the School of Education? How did they make a positive impact on your professional and personal pursuits?

Even though Dr. Tom Burnham is retired, his commitment to educational excellence and improving teachers and leaders throughout the state was inspirational to me. Additionally. Dr. Dennis Bunch continued the trend of expecting high quality products from his students, as a model for setting a high standard for both teachers and students under the charge of the K-12 leaders.

Tell us about your proudest moment in education.

I suppose being named Teacher of the Year in 2013 was pretty special, but, honestly, the times students with whom I worked found out they were going to graduate from high school after passing the English II test (sometimes after failing multiple times) were truly the proudest moments for me professionally.

Do you have any advice for our current students?

Education is hard work, but it is also immensely rewarding. It's okay to feel stressed, overwhelmed, inadequate, and desperate. Those are the times when you rely on your friends and colleagues--and also the times you learn the most! Sometimes you won't see the fruits of your labor very quickly, if ever. You must remember that the work you do each day may have a major impact on the trajectory of a student's life; and you never know which day that will be for which student! You must, therefore, commit yourself to excellence each day because this may be the day you change a person's life.