Teachers are Superheroes: The Story of the Amazing Educator Barbara L. Jones

By Deanna Edens

In December 2022, I was standing in an aisle at the Piggly Wiggly in Sissonville, trying to decide if the cheese in a can would be a good substitute for an 8-ounce jar of Cheese Whiz that I needed for a broccoli casserole recipe when a young man approached me and cleared his throat. “Excuse me,” he said, “is Mrs. Jones your mother?” 

“Yes, Barbara Jones is my mother,” I replied. “My name is Deanna.” 

“I thought so. Your mom taught me how to read,” he said, adding a nod of his head to affirm his declaration. 

“Really? So, she was your teacher?” I assumed. 

“Yes, ma’am. I had her when I was in the second grade. Up until then, I wasn’t doing very well in school, but she changed my life. I loathed school up until that time, then after I learned to read, I couldn’t keep my nose out of the books.” He shrugged. “She is my superhero.” 

“Mine too,” I agreed. “Every kid needs a superhero, right?” 

“For sure.” 

“What’s your name? I’ll tell her I met you today.” 

“My name is Johnny. Johnny Johnson. She will remember me. During story time, I would squeeze in as close as I could to be near her.” He laughed. “I loved her. She always dressed so classy, and I had never met anyone who always looked so professional and had a smile on her face all the time. Where I grew up, there weren’t many women who wore dresses, stockings, and scarves all the time so I was mesmerized by your mom.”  

I smiled. “Thank you for sharing that with me,” I said. 

“Sure. Hey, hold on a minute. There is my wife, Lilly, and I want her to meet you. She had Mrs. Jones as a teacher, too.” He motioned toward the woman who was walking down the aisle, “Come over here, Lilly, I want you to meet Mrs. Jones’ daughter.” 

Introductions were made and Lilly gushed with praise as she described my mother and her patience. Lilly explained that Mrs. Jones had taught her to read and tutored her when she had a challenging time in school. Lilly said she had a learning disability and insisted the other teachers had given up on her, but then she met Mrs. Jones, and her life was changed.  

As we stood in the snack aisle, Johnny saw a friend and motioned for him to join us. His friend, Barry, was also a big admirer of my mother. Barry had grown up, as poor as dirt, as he described it and Mrs. Jones had taught him not only the importance of education but the value of self-worth and confidence. 

It was not too long before my husband wandered into the store to see if I had gotten lost and a few short minutes after that, one of the clerks stopped to see if everything was okay. And wouldn’t you know it? Yes, indeed. The clerk joined in the conversation. “Mrs. Jones was the best teacher I ever had in my life!” she exclaimed. “She even sent me a personalized note when I graduated from high school to let me know how proud she was of me. She had been my teacher eight years earlier and yet she took the time to send me a letter. She really is marvelous.”  

I realized there was a fan club starting to congregate right smack dab in the middle of Piggly Wiggly, but I didn’t mind. It was wonderful to hear about the remarkable characteristics that my mother possessed. I knew she was my superhero, but I had not realized how many other lives she had touched. So, I took it upon myself to share her story—or a piece of it anyway. 

Barbara is the daughter of Earl and Marble Stutler and grew up in Charleston with four brothers and three sisters. She graduated from Stonewall Jackson High School in 1957 and soon after married Richard Jones. She began her teaching career working as a teacher’s aide at Buena Vista Elementary in 1974, where the principal encouraged her to earn a teaching degree. So, she set her sights on the goal. Working full-time and raising three children couldn’t have been an easy task, but she graduated in 1977 with an Associate Degree in the Science of Education and then a year later earned her BA in Elementary Education, ultimately graduating second in her class. She continued to pursue her studies by earning a Master’s Degree in Reading from Marshall University School of Graduate Studies and several professional certificates including a Professional Administration Certificate from Wheeling Jesuit University and she became certified as a superintendent, vocational administration, and school principal, as well.  

Barbara worked at many schools throughout Kanawha County, including Alum Creek Elementary, Wallace Heights Elementary, Elk Center, Sissonville Elementary, and Tyler Elementary. Her assignment changes were due to the closing of Title I reading programs and the fact that she was the least tenured teacher. Even though it is not easy for a teacher to change schools, she took it all in stride and embraced each challenge, because her main goal was to teach children to read. Barbara was hired by the Kanawha County Board of Education in 2000 as the elementary curriculum specialist until she retired in 2015. As a curriculum specialist, her responsibilities included providing staff development for teachers and principals, overseeing elementary curriculum development, and serving on textbook selection committees. 

She also oversaw the Kanawha County Spelling Bee each year and the Young Writers Contest. One of her proudest achievements was developing the Demonstration Teaching Program, which assisted teachers in mastering the instructional strategies for more effective instruction. The demonstration teachers went into every elementary classroom in the county for about twelve days each providing instruction, using the usual curriculum, to the students as the classroom teachers observed the strategies being used. The program proved to be very successful. 

Additionally, she taught undergraduate courses at West Virginia State University and graduate classes at Marshall University and presented at conferences and workshops all over the United States. She was an educator extraordinaire. Now, if all of this isn’t amazing enough to convince you that this lady is astonishing, consider this. While she was teaching reading, molding students’ lives, and sharing her expertise with her colleagues, she was also a foster parent, and a foreign exchange student host and managed to raise her grandson and great-grandson. She still teaches Bible classes at Fisher’s Chapel United Methodist Church and has served on the Board of Directors for Sissonville Public Library for the last fifty years.  

I was able to share my Piggly Wiggly experience with my mother, and she in turn shared hundreds of letters she had received over the years, thanking her for one kindness or another. For example, one of her former students wrote to her saying, “Until I had you for a teacher I did not like school very well. With your help and encouragement, you made me really begin to enjoy school and want to be the best that I could be. I realized that if I worked hard enough, I could achieve whatever I wanted. Without the extra time you spent with me, helping me to catch up with my classmates I would never have been in the advanced class or been able to be in the Honor Society. It was you who encouraged me and set me in the right direction. I received a four-year academic scholarship to attend college and I intend to major in Education. I hope that one day I will be able to help someone the way you have helped me.” –Catherine H.  

A colleague states, “I am writing this letter to recommend Barbara Jones for the Eddie C. Kennedy Reading Teacher of the Year. How many synonyms can you think of for the word, dedicated? They would all fit the teaching career of Barbara Jones. I think that she should officially have her name changed to Barbara “Love to Read – You Can Too” Jones. I have had the pleasure and honor to work with and learn from Barbara. The Title I program started at Sissonville Elementary three years ago and that was my first encounter with Barbara. As the year went on, it didn’t take me long to realize I was working with one of the finest employees that Kanawha County Schools had to offer…” –Sarah H.  

A letter from a parent says, “I would like to recommend Mrs. Barbara Jones as the Teacher of the Year. She takes immense pride in all her students. Those who need extra help receive it. She is dedicated to her pupils with learning in mind and patience to withstand any storm.” –Brenda J.  

As you can probably tell, she is admired by everyone who has had the pleasure of meeting her. As a side note, I did not buy the spray cheese at Piggle Wiggly that day, but I gained something much more valuable. I was able to see my mother through the eyes of some of the people whose lives she changed. What I learned was this—not all superheroes wear capes—some wear suits and high heels.