The Mississippi Teacher Corps held their annual holiday dinner at Bofields restaurant in Oxford. The holiday dinner is held each December for the first-year teachers.

Dr. Tom Burnham, Dean of the School of Education, said of the Teacher Corps participants, “What these young people do is tremendous. In participating in this program they are making a huge commitment to public service. In many cases they are putting their lives on hold to give back. Just being around them makes me feel good.”

The Class of 2004 arranged to exchange “Secret Santa” gifts. Among the gifts given were a Playskool set, a dart board, and a box of chocolates.

“Some of the teachers came up with the idea for the Secret Santa,” said Ben Guest, the Program Manager for Teacher Corps. “It's great to see so much camaraderie among the group. You can tell how much they enjoy being around each other and how much they care about each other.”

Dr. Burnham, Dr. Andy Mullins, Mr. Germain McConnell, and Mr. Guest all spoke at the dinner. Dr. Mullins and Mr. McConnell are the Co-Directors of the Teacher Corps.

“Our teachers are starting to reach the point where they see the rewards of teaching,” said Mr. Guest. “The first semester is always the hardest. After Christmas is when you really start to see the impact that you have on these kids, and the impact they have on you.”

“They've put in the work,” said Mr. McConnell. “Now is when they start to see the fruits of their labors. Now they can really start to affect student learning.”

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 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 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.

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