Why did you join the Mississippi Teacher Corps?

I joined the Mississippi Teacher Corps because I wanted to do something to improve the lives of an underserved population. I wanted a job where I would interact with the people I'm serving in a hands-on way. I'd done some work with kids before and thought that I would enjoy teaching and trying to excite young people about math and science. Also, I'd lived in Massachusetts my whole life and wanted to challenge myself by living in a completely different place

What has been the biggest challenge?

I struggled a lot with classroom management in my first year, and my greatest challenge was trying to keep my students in order when I was trying out a lot of things for the first time, and some of the teaching methods I tried didn't work. It was difficult for me to deal with students who were often disobedient and disrespectful towards me, and at times I felt that I was not able to teach my students very well because my classes were out of control. This was frustrating and disheartening.

What has been the biggest reward?

The greatest reward for me has been starting my second year of teaching and seeing how much I've improved as a teacher, and knowing that I will be more successful in reaching and motivating my students this year. As Thomas Edison said, "I have not failed. I've found 10,000 ways that don't work." That's how I see my experience in teaching: I've tried many things that haven't worked, and now have a better idea of how to teach my students. Some of my students from last year came up to me at the start of the new school year and gave me hugs, and told me that they miss me. Two of these students were frequently getting discipline referrals and suspensions, but somehow behaved and did well in my class. This reminded me that even when I felt that I wasn't a good teacher, I was able to give these students a positive experience in school.

 

The Mississippi Teacher Corps is the most competitive teaching program in the country. The two-year program, designed for non-education majors, recruits college graduates to teach in the Mississippi Delta and offers a host of benefits, including teacher training and certification, a full scholarship for a master's degree in education, job placement that includes full pay and benefits and, most importantly, the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students in one of the poorest areas of the country.