Archive for Alum of the Month:
Alumna of the Month: Elizabeth Savage
The Mississippi Teacher Corps Alumna of the Month is Elizabeth Savage. Elizabeth is a member of the Mississippi Teacher Corps (MTC) Class of 2005 (MTC designates classes by year entered, not completed). You can read Elizabeth’s blog here.
Where are you from? Where did you go to school? Where and what did you teach?
I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. I attended Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. I spent two years in Cameroon, West Africa, as a Peace Corps Volunteer. In 2005, I joined Teacher Corps. I taught English IV for two years at Gentry High School. Gentry is in Indianola, Mississippi, a small town in the Mississippi Delta.
What have you been doing since the Mississippi Teacher Corps?
Since Teacher Corps, I’ve been teaching at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans. New Orleans is a great place to live, and I’m lucky to be here.
Why did you join the Mississippi Teacher Corps:
I joined MTC for the same reason most people do: to make a difference. After Peace Corps, I was waiting tables at an upscale restaurant, making far more than I ever have as a teacher. It was fun, but I felt unfulfilled. To remedy that, I returned to service. In Cameroon, I had been teaching English as a second (or in most cases, third or fourth) language, so I already had some experience in the classroom. As it turns out, joining Teacher Corps was one of the best decisions I ever made.
What was the greatest challenge?
For me, the greatest challenge was dealing with the administration. The students could be a challenge, but at the end of the day, they were just kids. They will do a lot for a teacher who treats them with consistency and respect. I didn’t always find that the same was true of my administration. I encountered excellent administrators during my time at Gentry, but I also encountered a few administrators who didn’t have the students’ best interests at heart. This was painful to see, all the more so because it was so totally out of my hands.
What was the greatest reward?
The greatest reward was witnessing the change in my students over the course of the year. For many students at Gentry High, stability at home was not a reality. Motivating these students was very exciting for me. I could see the results of my hard work on their faces; the deep concentration on a student’s face as she worked on her research paper, the wild-eyed exuberance of the student playing the role of Grendel, the intense stare as a student willed me to call on her, the proud, beaming smile as a student turned in his best work; all of these faces told me that I was doing my job. Every teacher appreciates the responsible, self-motivated students, but I really value the converts, the kids who really make a turnaround. At Gentry, I witnessed moments of epiphany. These moments didn’t happen all of the time: many days I came home exhausted and frustrated. Whenever I saw that love of learning on a child’s face, it made it all worth it. These were the moments when I knew that I was making a difference. These moments made Teacher Corps one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
How has the Mississippi Teacher Corps impacted your life?
Teacher Corps has changed the way I think about education. As members of the program, we had the advantage of firsthand experience in the field. In class discussions that often continued long after class had ended, we examined the problems faced by teachers and students in public education. We considered the other side of the coin, too: policy, funding, regulation, and all of the challenges faced by local and federal governments. Our guest speakers were among the most influential in the field: current and former State Superintendents, Deans of Schools of Education, policymakers, innovators, and even the former governor shared their thoughts and experiences on this complex and many-layered issue. Teacher Corps gave me a clear picture of some of the problems we face, not only as educators, but as citizens of the United States. I believe that children deserve equal access to high-quality public education. Unfortunately, equal education is not a reality. During my time in Teacher Corps, I was on the front lines of this battle. Now that I’m not teaching the underprivileged, I feel that it’s my responsibility to remain engaged in the struggle. I continue to support equal education with my time, with my money, and with my vote. I bring this issue into my current classroom through facilitating research and dialogue. Because of Teacher Corps, I will continue to fight for equal education. I will never stop making a difference.
Alumnus of the Month: Evan Couzo
Where are you from? Where did you go to school? Where and what did you teach?
I was born in Savannah, Georgia, although most of my formative years were spent in Orlando, Florida. I graduated from Williams College in 2005. As a physics major, I expected to teach science or math at the high school level and was told in April that I would be doing just that. Come July, however, the Quitman County School District canceled any plans for physics and calculus. I became the seventh grade math teacher at Quitman County Middle School in Marks. For those who haven’t been in a while, Paul Pride’s Smokehouse has expanded to include restaurant seating. While it doesn’t have the same charm that it used to (I think he got rid of the door with the bullet hole), the wings are as magical as ever.
What have you been doing since Mississippi Teacher Corps?
After my third year teaching, I left Mississippi for graduate school at the University of North Carolina. I am studying atmospheric air quality as it relates to regional ozone pollution. I’ve learned that there are two types of scientists: “real” scientists that wear gloves and use test tubes, and “fake” scientists that stare at computer models and, by some flaw in their character, find computer programming fun. I am in the latter category. Returning to school is everything I’d hoped it would be and more, but I do miss teaching and the Delta. I’ve been back twice already, and will attend this summer’s reunion. To pass the time, of which I have had an infinite amount since hanging up my teacher shoes, I tutor students at the public library each week. Before moving to Chapel Hill, I spent a month in Tanzania with a college buddy. Amongst other things, we climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, which is probably the most baller thing I’ve ever done.
Why did you join the Mississippi Teacher Corps?
I joined the Teacher Corp because I wanted to try teaching. Mississippi sounded like a cool place to spend a couple years, and the program benefits were generous enough. Not to mention the application process was pleasantly simple. Inertia likely caused me to accept a position in the program. It was a hell of a lot easier to say, “Sure, Ben, see you in a few months,” than to find another job.
What was the greatest challenge?
Two discrete challenges emerged during my experience. One was professional, the other personal. Continuing to teach passionately was my greatest professional challenge. After winter break, it is easy to fall into the lull of the classroom routines and stop making the effort to reach all students in meaningful and creative ways. Compounding this problem is the fact that most other teachers are comfortably in their mediocrity (at best) groove, and neither students nor administrators expect to see anything of too high a quality from you. Arguably, this is just as important a time to inspire students as the beginning of the year, but it is more difficult to do so because exhaustion from the previous semester is sinking in.
My greatest personal challenge was continually convincing myself that my presence was making a difference. We hope that somehow our short tenure in the public school system will spark a revolution regardless of what we admit to others. That has to be the hope, otherwise, what’s the point? When it becomes clear that the revolution is not coming, lower your sights and affect change in your school. And when that doesn’t happen, begin impacting individual students and accept that teaching someone how to learn is ultimately more important than creating a system that allows for learning. To do otherwise is to become trapped in a downward spiral of cynicism and defeat.
What was the greatest reward?
Two months ago a friend of mine who still lives in Mississippi called to tell me that she ran into the mother of one my students (at the Smokehouse, which plays a role in most of my stories about Mississippi). This student was a girl from my first year, one I often don’t think of anymore. She is a tragically common Delta kid – not unintelligent, but not inspired; not incapable, but unlikely to succeed. Her mother wanted me to know that her daughter’s path in life had changed.
Completely.
For the better.
Because of my impact.
In my three short years spent in Marks, she said, a lot of students’ lives began to show promise. The personal rewards of Teacher Corps are connected to individual students, and they grow and mature as do the students.
The fact is, though, meaningfully describing the rewards of the Teacher Corps experience to an outsider is nearly impossible. And there is no need to list them to ourselves; escaping Teacher Corps without some variation of the previous story doesn’t happen. We’re in the business of changing lives, and corps members do just that, even if it’s not always easy to discern from the noise of poverty.
How has the Mississippi Teacher Corps impacted your life?
I am more aware of poverty and the unique challenges it presents to wanting and receiving an education. I also realize the impossibly large problems facing public education generally and poor rural communities specifically. As a result, attending law school after grad school has become a real possibility for me. Teacher Corps taught me the importance of good policy (or, rather, introduced me to the unfortunate influence of bad education policy), and I may want to position myself to write and change public policy. Whether I will work on environmental policy or education policy I have not yet decided.
More concretely, my priorities and near future plans have changed as a result of the Mississippi Teacher Corps. After grad school the teaching profession will again be an attractive option. Ideally, I will become a professor at a small school that emphasizes teaching, but I haven’t ruled out secondary school.
The surprisingly annual Couzapalooza also could not have happened without the Teacher Corps. Couzapalooza IV will be this May, and, of course, all are welcome.
Alumna of the Month: Tiffany Bartlett
The Mississippi Teacher Corps Alumna of the Month is Tiffany Bartlett. Tiffany is a member of the Mississippi Teacher Corps (MTC) Class of 2005 (MTC designates classes by year entered, not completed). You can read Tiffany’s blog here. In her second year Tiffany taught Algebra I, a state-tested subject. The percentage of students passing the Algebra I test increased from 67% to 91%.
Where are you from? Where did you go to school? Where and what did you teach?
I grew up near Dallas, TX. I went first to the University of North Texas for an early college program, and then to the University of Texas in Austin. I have a degree in Electrical Engineering, which I will hopefully never have to use again!
For my first year, I taught 8th grade math and geometry in Belzoni, the Catfish Capital of the World. The town is so tiny that the high school and junior high school are connected by double doors. After second period, I would run to my high school classroom, trying to beat the students. I taught Algebra in Jackson my second year. The school in Jackson had such a different feel from the small town school, even though the demographics were similar.
What have you been doing since the Mississippi Teacher Corps?
I first took an engineering job with the Navy in Austin, TX. I was hired to write lessons and teach sailors, but the funding and responsibility went to another company. So, after about a year and a half, I left to pursue some much more exciting opportunities.
I have three jobs right now, and most days I don’t know how it all works out so perfectly. I work for Texas Teaching Fellows, a program similar to MTC, as a Field Observer. This school year, I observed 45 first-year teachers, giving them feedback and suggestions that they could immediately apply to their classrooms. I also tutor for the math state tests at a middle school. My third (and favorite) job is working as a birth doula. A birth doula is a woman that provides emotional support and physical comfort for a woman who is in labor. I work for the woman, not the hospital, and help make sure that all her needs are met. I’m on call 24 hours a day for my pregnant moms, and within the last day, I’ve been to two births. Unlike nurses, who come and go while seeing lots of patients, I stay with one mother from start to finish. I only have to attend one more birth to finish my certification! I’m working on becoming a certified childbirth educator, as well. I actually decided to pursue this because of my time in Mississippi. Many of my students were pregnant, and since I haven’t had a child yet, I wasn’t sure how to support them. Now, I’m very educated about birth and hope to help many young women have amazing birth experiences.
Why did you join the Mississippi Teacher Corps?
Teaching seemed like a good fit for me. I needed a break from engineering, and a big change in scenery. I didn’t know what to expect in Mississippi; I had never been before I was moving into the dorms at Ole Miss for summer school. I think I wanted the challenge, the excitement, and the intensity that I knew the program would offer.
What was the greatest challenge?
I think the greatest challenges were when I was at odds with others over what was best for my students. There were times when the administration made decisions based on how the school would look to outsiders, not based on the interests of the students.
What was the greatest reward?
A couple of things, one of which was just getting through it! I am so proud of the students I had, and I think they really made great gains. I am also proud of myself for all the strength and independence I found while teaching in Mississippi.
How has the Mississippi Teacher Corps impacted your life?
I often feel like I have a better perspective of the world than I would if I hadn’t had this experience. Many people live their whole lives in one place or only with people in their same socio-economic group. Hopefully, I’ll always be influenced by what I experienced in Mississippi.
Alumnus of the Month: Robbie Pollack
The Mississippi Teacher Corps Alumnus of the Month is Robbie Pollack. Robbie is a member of the Mississippi Teacher Corps (MTC) Class of 2005 (MTC designates classes by year entered, not completed). You can read Robbie’s blog, which he has continued updating after MTC, here, view his Flickr photostream here (including this popular photo) and follow him on Twitter here.
Where are you from? Where did you go to school? Where and what did you teach?
I grew up in the East Bay, a few minutes from Oakland and Berkeley, California. I attended St. John’s College, spending two years on the Annapolis, Maryland campus and two years on the Santa Fe, New Mexico campus. I graduated in 2004.
During my first year in Mississippi, I lived in the town of Sardis, right by the railroad tracks, and taught English at North Panola High School. Growing up in a densely sprawling megalopolis of millions of people, I don’t think I ever thought I’d one day live in a town without any traffic lights. A gas station with a McDonald’s in it was built during the second semester, and it was immediately the hottest spot in town. I was also there for a tornado that missed my house by a few hundred feet!
I moved to Jackson for my second year, and taught English at Jim Hill High School, where I stayed for one post-MTC year. Also, as a result of the diverse credits from my Liberal Arts education at St. John’s, I was able to get a supplementary certification to teach math, which I did during the MTC summer school.
What have you been doing since MTC?
I have been living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, studying “Eastern Classics” at St. John’s, which has meant studying Sanskrit, and the classical literature and philosophy of India, China and Japan. In August I’ll have another master’s degree I don’t intend to use for anything very practical.
I’m also tutoring part-time in a public high school here, in a program run through the community college. It’s quite a change going from a high school where nearly one hundred percent of the students are African-American to one where probably eighty or ninety percent speak Spanish as a first language.
Why did you join the Mississippi Teacher Corps:
I had always wanted to try teaching — at least to try it for a while — and to be involved in service in some way, but the real decision to join the MTC (and not the Peace Corps, to which I had already applied and been nominated) was made while I was in Argentina (where my father’s family is from) during and after the 2004 presidential election. I felt alienated from my own country, and wanted to get to know it better. Moving to the deep South seemed like one way to start.
What was the greatest challenge?
Every day was a great challenge. Facing my own smallness relative to the enormity of the obstacles, facing my own complicity in a system I came to believe was deeply corrupt and corrupting, facing so many students for whom I could do so little.
What was the greatest reward?
The responses of those few students who did quickly gravitate toward me — the students who were quiet, the students who were a little nerdy, the students who were maybe gay, the students who for whatever other reason felt like outsiders themselves and for whom I could be a representative of the wider world.
How has the Mississippi Teacher Corps impacted your life?
The Mississippi Teacher Corps brought me to Mississippi, where I otherwise might never have gone. Of the impact my going to Mississippi has had on my life, there is no way to speak exhaustively or with satisfying precision. My experiences in Mississippi have informed my understanding of America, of law, of culture, of history, of race, of wealth, of poverty, of education, of my own relationship to all of those things. I made friends who will be my friends for the rest of my life. I doubt I will ever live in Mississippi again, but I also doubt I will ever stop being pulled back toward it. Mississippi has been mixed up into the very stuff of me. I am a different and better person because of it.
Alum of the Month: Ruth Maron
The Mississippi Teacher Corps Alumna of the Month is Ruth Maron. Ruth is a member of the Mississippi Teacher Corps Class of 1999. Ruth taught Spanish at West Tallehatchie High School in Webb, MS. Ruth grew up in Burlington, CT and graduated from Vanderbilt University.
What have you been doing since MTC?
I have the privilege of working with the University of Mississippi as a Study Abroad Advisor & Instructor to help provide UM students opportunities to study in Latin America, Spain and Portugal. I also coordinate the international student exchanges for UM, welcoming students from our international partner institutions to study abroad at the University of Mississippi.
What was the greatest reward of being a part of the Mississippi Teacher Corps?
Watching one of my former students graduate from the University of Mississippi.
What was the biggest challenge?
Trying to help students not give up on themselves.
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.
Alum of the Month: Sheref Edwards
The Mississippi Teacher Corps Alumnus of the Month is Sheref Edwards. Sheref is a member of the Mississippi Teacher Corps Class of 2003. Sheref taught Math at Coffeeville High School in Coffeeville, MS. Sheref grew up in Columbus, MS and graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
What have you been doing since MTC?
I’m still in education. After Teacher Corps, I stayed in Coffeeville for a third year. I’m currently a math teacher at Central High School in Tuscaloosa, AL.
What was the greatest reward of being a part of the Mississippi Teacher Corps?
Being in the Mississippi Teacher Corps allowed me to meet genuine people, great people, from all over the country. That is the greatest reward.
What was the biggest challenge?
Student apathy was tough; trying to teach children who didn’t want to learn the material being presented was my biggest challenge.
How has MTC impacted your life?
I don’t think I can work a nine to five job. My body begins to shut down in May. You can really become attached to your students. I enjoy my job, for the most part, and I thank God for having the opportunity to make a difference. In college, I planned to be an engineer. Now, engineering doesn’t even cross my mind.
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.