Anitra Tarpley was born in Miami-Dade County, Florida to Eugene and Rosia Smith. She is the fourth child of six children. During her childhood her parents were careful to instill in her the importance of an education and did all that they could to make sure that she was raised to be respectful, kind responsible, and GOD fearing.

     Mrs. Tarpley is a product of the Dade-County Public School System. The teachers that she had throughout her primary education gave her a strong academic foundation and had a great influence on her future.  She attended Bunche Park Elementary School, Norland Middle School, and Carol City Senior High where she graduated with honors. During High School, Anitra was enrolled in the Criminal Justice Dual Enrollment Magnet Program. This program allowed High School children to study Criminal Justice at Miami-Dade Community College while earning college credits.

      After graduating from High School, Mrs. Tarpley went to Florida Southern College, which is located in Lakeland, Florida. There she intended to pursue her education in Criminal Justice and seek a career in that field. Beginning in her freshman year, she volunteered in the Helping Children to Discover Literacy Program, which was a tutoring program to help underprivileged youth. It was during her senior year volunteering with this program that one of her students, Shade, said the magical words that changed the course of her life, “I wish you were my teacher”. Up until this point, Mrs. Tarpley had never considered being a teacher. However, once her student said those words, she knew that teaching was the career for her. Unfortunately, Mrs. Tarpley was already in the last semester of her senior year and desperate to return to her beloved family and hometown. So, she went on and graduated with honors with a double major in Criminal Justice and Sociology. Her hopes of becoming a teacher would be delayed but not forgotten.

      Once home, Mrs. Tarpley found employment with the Department of Children and Family Services-Division of Economic Self-Sufficiency. She was responsible for determining eligibility for programs such as Food Stamps, AFDC, and Medicaid. During this time she also attended Barry University where she worked toward her Masters Degree in Pre-K Primary Education. She was enrolled in the teacher certification program which helped students with degrees outside of education fulfill certification requirements while also completing their Master degrees. Soon after graduating, Mrs. Tarpley was hired as a Pre-Kindergarten teacher at Carol City Elementary. Her dreams of being a teacher would finally be realized. 

      The professional and academic experiences that Anitra has had have helped her to develop her philosophy of education which is as follows: 

      In order for one to be truly fulfilled and self-reliant, one must have a solid education. Mrs. Tarpley instills the importance of an education in her students. She encourages them work hard, do their best, and to dream big dreams. Mrs. Tarpley has the highest expectations for all of her students and is confident that they will have successful futures as long as they stay focused and continue to make their education a priority.

      To date, Mrs. Tarpley has been with the Carol City Elementary School Family for six years. She taught Pre-Kindergarten for two years and presently is in her fourth year of teaching Kindergarten. Mrs. Tarpley is always attempting to improve herself so that she can better meet the needs of her students. Her goal is not only to help her students meet their current grade level expectations, but to also prepare them for what they face further down the line in their elementary journey. 

      Anitra Smith Tarpley has been married to her High School sweetheart, Antonio L. Tarpley for four years. She and her husband are blessed to have one precious son, Malcolm Eugene Tarpley, who is two years old; and, they are awaiting the birth of Louis Anthony Tarpley, who is due in June. With these things in place, Mrs. Tarpley fills as though her life is complete. She has a career that she loves, a beautiful family, and a GOD who put everything in place, protecting and blessing it all.