As Teresa Speed walks down the halls of Murray High School each morning, she greets students by name. She gives them hugs and high-fives and asks them about their lives.
Teresa, 52, said she loves making a difference in people’s lives.
Students and faculty say Teresa, who has been principal for eight years, is like a mother and a friend to them. They can talk to her about anything. She really cares.
Sophomore Mariel Jackson said that she feels very close to Teresa. “She treats us like we’re part of her family,” she said.
“Basically, she’s a mother to all,” said Rechelle Turner, the girls’ basketball coach. “A lot of our students don’t have good home lives, and she’s gone above and beyond to make their lives better.”
Teresa thinks that’s an important part of her job. “I feel like that’s my mission, my life, not to let them down,” she said. “I take it real personal. I treat them like my own kids.”
Teresa and Joseph, her husband of 17 years, have 12 children, ages 9 to 33, seven of whom were adopted. Teresa said she always wanted to be a mother and has always been a nurturer.
“I tell my mother it’s because of the relationship that she had (with me),” Teresa said.
Teresa’s father was a pastor, and religion became an important part of her life at an early age. She and her family attend the church he started 32 years ago in the Graves County town of Pryorsburg. She leads the youth group in Bible study on Wednesday nights.
Evenings are busy for the Speeds, but they try to eat dinner together as much as they can. It is a time for them to share stories about their day. Before the meal, they join hands and pray.
“When you realize what God has given you, I think that allows you to love,” she said.
