Joel currently teaches German, Geography, and Mississippi Studies at Southaven High School . “The first semester was frustrating,” said Joel. “Trying to get acclimated to everything was a challenge. This semester has been great. I made adjustments in the way I managed the class. I'm more comfortable with planning out my lessons, and the students are more comfortable with me.”

When asked about the differences between his students in Germany and his students here Joel said, “There is more emphasis on education in Germany . In general, in Germany parents on the average are better educated, teachers study longer before entering schools, and students are more mature than here in the U.S. ”

Joel recently got married and says “life gets better every moment.” He and his wife Cayce live in Memphis , where Cayce serves in Americorps.

The Mississippi Teacher Corps is a two-year program that recruits recent college graduates to teach in critical-shortage areas in the Mississippi Delta, in exchange for a full scholarship for a masters' degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Mississippi . The program was founded in 1989 by Amy Gutman, a Harvard University graduate and Dr. Andy Mullins , current Special Assistant to the Chancellor of Ole Miss. Since 1989 more than 300 participants, reaching an estimated 4,500 students, have taught in critical-needs school districts as part of the Mississippi Teacher Corps.