Former Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) teacher Samira Hardcastle is calling on educators to speak publicly about problems she says she witnessed firsthand in the district, including students struggling with basic academic skills and pressure on teachers to prioritize testing and district policies over student needs.
Hardcastle, who resigned from MNPS after eight years, discussed her experience during an exclusive sit-down interview on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, days after receiving national attention for comments she made during a Metro Nashville school board meeting.
Hardcastle, who previously taught 3rd, 5th, and 6th grade math before becoming a middle school art teacher, said students sometimes lacked foundational skills needed to complete grade-level coursework.
“So we’re doing long division, but they don’t know their times tables,” Hardcastle said. “And things like that. So I saw it firsthand, and…You’re not allowed to go back and teach that stuff because it’s not sixth grade standards.”
Hardcastle said she continued helping students with foundational math skills despite the restrictions, but said the students remained behind.
“It sounds like a joke. It’s not a funny one,” she said. “It’s a bad joke.”
Hardcastle described an incident in which she said the district forced her to change a student’s grade after a parent complained.
She said the student had received a failing grade on a project that was part of a competition involving the Tennessee Titans. According to Hardcastle, the student’s parent was highly competitive and wanted her daughter to earn recognition.
“The child came crying to me on the very last day of the nine weeks saying I have to change her grade,” Hardcastle said. “I said, ‘That’s, you got what you earned.’ And within the hour, the parent was up there complaining”
When asked whether school administration forced her to change the grade, Hardcastle said the decision came from the district. She distinguished the district’s actions from those of her principal, whom she said was supportive but ultimately limited by district policies.
“My principal was supportive of me…but she also wants to follow policies and do what she’s supposed to, which is understandable,” Hardcastle said. “However, there’s only so much that she can do… because the district is having these meetings and forcing her to do things their way.”
Hardcastle said the experience changed her view of MNPS leadership.
“I’ve heard positive and negative, after my experience, I would say it’s negative,” she said. “They don’t care about the kids. They’re not putting the kids first.”
Hardcastle went on to question the accuracy of student proficiency statistics, arguing that districts should focus more heavily on student growth.
“I don’t think so,” Hardcastle said when asked whether the reported achievement numbers should be believed. “I think all of the numbers are skewed.”
“I think we need to focus on growth more heavily,” she continued. “Because they’re all about meeting kids where they’re at. And if we’re meeting them where they’re at, let’s talk about their growth. Let’s not talk about if they are where they’re supposed to be. We know they’re not where they’re supposed to be.”
Hardcastle said that, if given the authority to lead MNPS, her first priority would be transparency.
“First I would be honest about our data,” she said. “I would let people know this is really where our kids are and that’s how we would create change.”
She alleged that district scores can present an incomplete picture of student performance.
“Their scores are skewed, or they’ll take the data from maybe one test out of the entire year,” Hardcastle said. “I think it’s important that we look at the overall picture.”
Hardcastle also called on other teachers to speak publicly about their experiences.
“I need other teachers to speak up,” she said. “I need them to, and not timidly. I need them to use their teacher voice … and get the word out because it’s not just me.”
Hardcastle said she does not currently plan to return to the classroom and instead intends to continue advocating for education reform while operating her art business.
“As far as going back in the classroom, I’m not,” she said. “I’m just gonna do my art business.”
Hardcastle was named an MNPS Teacher of the Year earlier this year and received the district’s Blue Ribbon Teacher award in 2025.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
