Jackson Free Press

After spending his first years out of college as a chef on a cattle ranch in Wyoming and a salesman in Colorado, Ben Barlow came back to Mississippi to try his hand at the family business; both his mother and grandmother were teachers for 40 years, and his cousin is also in education.

Currently in his fifth year at Northwest Rankin High School, 32-year-old Barlow teaches both Learning Strategies and a reading-specific class to 9th graders and the dreaded state-tested English II to 10th graders. He also coaches girls' volleyball and the 9th-grade boys' basketball team, who this year won their first championship. "More importantly, they had fun playing, and they passed their classes; they're an easy team to coach," Barlow says.

Though he works in Rankin County, Barlow lives with girlfriend Jeannie, mutt Maggie and dachshund Sugar in Jackson. He loves Cups and, while drinking his coffee, announces that he is never going to Starbucks again. "They only have one flavor. This has a distinct flavor—I can tell the difference!" (A dark roast, in case you were interested).

He also has little tolerance for people who whine about Jackson but aren't trying to make it better. "You can't complain about what's going on in the community if your fingers aren't involved," he says. He wants Jacksonians to focus on urban renewal and not on urban sprawl. "There's nothing wrong with these buildings (downtown)—let's get this city moving. Plenty of cities do it; why don't we?" he asks.

Barlow's motivation is infectious. When he didn't have time to go himself, he encouraged Jeannie as she worked on a huge Habitat for Humanity project. Though he couldn't get down to New Orleans to be more hands-on with Katrina aid (because of his teaching schedule), he made the time to help his mother and grandmother wash and fold clothes for people with no homes.

After our meeting, he is headed out on a two-and-a-half-mile run to the gym with Jeannie to work out, to be followed by a two-and-a-half-mile run home, all as part of their self-training for an upcoming marathon. As I myself was headed home to eat pizza, I admired this dedication, which seems to be a part of everything in his life that Barlow talks about.

When his students and players ask him why he cares so much, Barlow tells them he knows he'll be old someday, and he wants to make sure he has done a good job of helping raise the people who will be running things when he no longer can. With the framework he seems to be building, he ought to be in good hands.