A new school year has started for the children and teachers of Mississippi.  Teacher Corps currently has 48 participants; 20 second-years and 28 first-years.

“This is the largest group of active MTC teachers that we’ve ever had, said Ben Guest, the Program Manager for MTC.  “This is due to the fact that the first-year class is our largest ever.”

The first Saturday class, where first-years and second-years come back to campus for coursework and camaraderie, was held at the end of August.  Saturday classes typically meet twice a month.

(Joel and Eric Discuss Good to Great)

“The first-years seem to be doing well,” said Mr. Guest.  “One of the components we’ve added this year is a mentoring program that focuses on classroom management.  I think this will be a big help to the first-years.  Teacher Corps is a family, and the mentoring program is like the big brothers and sisters taking the younger siblings under their wing.”

Another change is the restructuring of EDLD 501, The Effective Leader, the final course that MTC participants take as part of their Master’s Degree.  Dr. Andy Mullins, the co-director of MTC and Dr. Tom Burnham, the Dean of the School of Education, are co-teaching the course. 

(Dr. Mullins and the Second-Years)

“The course is going well and the class is great,” said Dr. Mullins.  “They are doing as well as any second-year class ever has.”

Dr. Mullins and Dr. Burnham have redesigned the course.  “We’ve broadened the course to look extend the concept of leadership.  The focus is now on a holistic view of leadership,” said Dr. Burnham.

(Brad, Sheref, and Darrell)

This month is also the one-year anniversary of the updated website.  “The feedback we’ve gotten has been great.  Both alumni and people who are interested in the program have said it’s been useful.  It is the most comprehensive website of any alternate-route teaching program,” said Mr. Guest. “The long-term goal is to make it not only a site for alumni and people interested in the program, but to also make it a great resource for teachers from all over the country.  We’ve started that process with things like the focus papers, success stories, and blogs.”

The Mississippi Teacher Corps is the most competitive alternate-route teaching program in the country. It 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 master's degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Mississippi. The program was founded in 1989 by Amy Gutman, a Harvard University graduate student, and Dr. Andy Mullins, then Special Assistant to the State Superintendent of Education. Since 1989 more than 300 participants, reaching an estimated 60,000 students, have taught in critical-needs school districts as part of the Mississippi Teacher Corps.

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