Profile of the Month: Courtney Dauwalter

Courtney Dauwalter is a member of the Mississippi Teacher Corps Class of 2008. Courtney teaches science at Potts Camp High School in Potts Camp, MS. Angela grew up in Edinam, MN, and graduated from the University of Denver with a degree in Biology. You can watch a short film featuring Courtney here.

Why did you join MTC?

I joined MTC because, ultimately, I want to be a teacher and this is an excellent way to acheive that end goal. Why, many people have asked me, in Mississippi, of all places? I love making new experiences in new places with new people, and I love a challenge. This program and this state definitely have proven to provide both a challenge and lots of exposure to new things. Besides, why NOT in Mississippi?

What is the greatest challenge?

The greatest challenge has been, and currently still is, trying to figure out how to juggle all the “hats” you have to wear while in this program…fulfilling all the roles you are expected to play in a way that is satisfying for my own personal standards and for the standards of all the people around me is a daily challenge. Being a teacher, being a coach, being a student, being an athlete, being an academic, being a tutor, being a role model, being a friend, being an outsider in a new state, being a 23 year old, being on the prom committee, being the science fair organizer, being a state-tested subject teacher, being a daughter, being a sister, being in the present, thinking of the future… the list goes on…it has been an extremely exhausting process trying to figure out a way to balance all of these aspects. Unfortunately, I cannot honestly say that I am fulfilling all of them completely or dedicating as much time to each of them as I would like to. Figuring how where I prioritize each of those roles and managing the time required by each of them is my biggest challenge.

What is the greatest reward?

In this job, the littlest rewards are the best motivator to keep going. A student who stays awake in your class for a change, a student who FINALLY stays after school for tutoring, a student who scores higher on a test BECAUSE they stayed for tutoring, a lesson that runs without flaw and actually REACHES the students, a chat with a student about their hopes for the future because they HAVE hopes, a runner that breaks a personal record during a race… the little victories have been my greatest rewards because the little victories are the ones you can find every single day.

Mississippi Volleyball Corps

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.