Special to Wesson News
Professional educator Dot McClendon, who, for over fifty-six years, taught math and science at multiple Mississippi high schools, as well as Copiah-Lincoln Community College, was recently honored for her efforts helping to raise test scores in Mississippi. McClendon, who also serves as pastor of Homeseekers Bible Church in Wesson, combined her content expertise and proven preparation methods into Jumpstart Test Prep’s online guided review program, which is designed to help students prepare for the American College Test (ACT). Jumpstart Review programs are now leveraged annually by over 2,000 educators in classrooms across seven states at over one hundred fifty partner schools, as well as by parents and students nationwide. McClendon has been inducted into the Mississippi Economic Council’s STAR Teacher Hall-of-Fame and recognized as one of the top five educators in the Mississippi Teacher of the Year program.
McLendon served the students of Mississippi for over fifty-six years before retiring as “Teacher of the Year” at The Mississippi School of the Arts. She says her passion for teaching was ignited by “seeing the light come on in a student’s eyes,” the exuberant moment when a student finally understands the material. Her passion led to helping students prepare for the ACT® and other high-stakes exams through decades of private tutoring and live classroom review events. Her mastery of explaining difficult content in a way that every student can follow and understand has led to dramatic score improvements by her students - providing acceptance into and often academic scholarship benefits from major universities, opening the door to higher learning for many who would have never been accepted or able to afford college without family assistance or costly student loans.
Through Jumpstart Test Prep’s platform, students and teachers in any location and at any time have access to complete ACT and WorkKeys Review programs and assessments, bellringers, as well as prep for high school equivalency exams and the Praxis core exam.
McClendon earned her bachelor of science degree in chemistry, with a minor in biological sciences, from Mississippi College. She earned her Master of Science degree in both chemistry and biological sciences from the University of Mississippi. She has been certified to teach chemistry, physics, biological sciences and mathematics. She was married twenty-six years before becoming a widow. She has two daughters and a godson, as well as four grandchildren.