When Mary Peyton Barnette walks through the doors of Partnership Middle School at Mississippi State, she’s not just showing up for an internship. She’s fulfilling her calling.

Since she was young, the MSU senior elementary education major from Madison always wanted to be a teacher.

“My second-grade teacher at Jackson Academy, Mrs. Blount, gave me that spark,” Barnette said. “Most kids change their minds about what they want to be when they grow up, but I never did. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher—it takes a special person. You get to make a difference in students’ lives on a daily basis.”

This semester, Barnette is completing her student-teaching internship in a seventh-grade social studies class at Partnership Middle School, the nation’s only public school housed on a university campus serving every middle school student. It is part of the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District.

“I absolutely love it,” Barnette said. “The staff is so welcoming to interns, and I’m thankful for my mentor teacher, Mr. Tyler Smith. I’ve experienced firsthand how students will give you their best when you show them that you believe in them and see their potential.”

Barnette’s internship is not her first experience at the school. Most of her classes during the second semester of her junior year were held in the university’s designated classrooms inside the school, giving students an edge in their preparation.

“One thing Mississippi State does really well is getting teacher candidates into the classroom early so that they know what they are expected to do,” she said. “Some of my friends at other universities have never even written a lesson plan. That’s one of the many reasons why MSU’s College of Education is second to none.”

Knowing the impact a teacher can make on a student has been one of the driving factors in Barnette’s academic career.

“Every child needs someone who they know believes in them, and not all children have that somebody at home,” Barnette said. “You may not know it yet, but there is going to be a student who will need you more than you realize. A teacher can make all the difference in the world.”