Teach and Inspire

Image from Mississippi Teacher Corps Summer School 2008

I received a lovely email from the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence informing me of their Teach and Inspire Scholarship Program. The program recruits individuals to teach in high-need schools and subject areas, including 14 school districts in Mississippi (with a number of those districts located in the Delta.)

Blog Action Day 2008- Poverty

In America, we often hear about poverty in third world countries, but we don't always hear enough about the poverty that exists at home.

Flickr: Robert Pollack and jwinfred

One of the poorest states in the U.S. is Mississippi, and the Delta is the poorest region of the state. I've talked about the Delta before. I talked of it's culture and beauty and, briefly, touched on the poverty that reigns in the region.

Flickr: Robert Pollack and jwinfred

Here are more in-depth facts about poverty in the Delta.

In 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau showed 18 counties in Mississippi had over 30 percent of the population living below poverty level

Of the 100 U.S Counties with the highest child poverty levels, 17 counties are in Mississippi. Most of those 17 are in the Delta.

31 percent of Mississippi children live below poverty level according to data at the National Center for Children in Poverty.

Flickr: jwinfred here and here

One of the greatest challenges facing children in the Delta is a receiving a quality education.

Mississippi consistently ranks among the lowest states in regards to educational spending. The Census Bureau reported in the 2005-2006 school year, in "Per Pupil Spending" Mississippi ranked 45th of 50 states.

In addition to low funding, schools in the Delta have also faced teacher shortages. To help address the critical teacher shortage, in 1989, the Mississippi Teacher Corps was founded.

Run through The University of Mississippi, the Mississippi Teacher Corps is a two-year program, designed for non-education majors, placing teachers in classrooms in the Delta.

In addition to receiving a salary, benefits, and teaching experience, participants receive full scholarship for a master's degree in education from the university (the coursework is completed over the two year period of teaching, so that when they graduate from the program, the participants also receive their degree.)

Here is a video that tells more about the program and the work they do.



Teach for America also serves the Mississippi Delta through its program. With the commitment of these organizations, the gap in education is closing, but there is still a long road ahead for children in the Delta to make the climb out of poverty.

Donations can be made to the Mississippi Teacher Corps or to Teach for America specifically for their Mississippi Delta program.

Thank you, Pia, for making me aware of this day.

Mississippi farewell

Photo from flickr user jwinfred

With a photo, captured in the Delta, and a classic Southern rock song, we'll close this trip to Mississippi. Thank you for coming along.

The Land of the Delta Blues

Top L to R: photo from flickr Cherry ElCamino, photo from flickr wicked_chasiti

Bottom Image from flickr SoundsGood

One of my best friends from college grew up in the region of Mississippi known as "the Delta." During those college years, our group made numerous weekend trips to her parents' house, where we were always warmly welcomed.

Consumption of hushpuppies, catfish, and other southern foods was de rigueur during our stays, and evenings always seemed to be spent drinking beers around a bonfire, sheltered by a circle of pick-up trucks. Those nights always felt as southern as I could imagine any being, and having arrived at school as a non-Southerner, I loved being there, surrounded by my friends, and feeling complete acceptance.

Perhaps because of the warm welcome I received I was inclined to see the good, but I instantly found charm and serenity in the scenery of the Delta.

Top Row from L to R: photo from flickr jwinfred, photo by flickr Robert Pollack
Bottom Row: photo from flickr NatalieMaynor, photo by flickr Robert Pollack

The Mississippi Delta is a place with a troubled past; there has long been a disparity between the wealthy and the poor in this region, and poverty is wide-spread. Yet, there is also great beauty in this land and a culture that is rich and warm.

Top Row: photo from flickr jwinfred, photo from flickr Youri!
Bottom Row: photo from flickr Deltasly, photo from flickr MKBrock

From sorrow and hardship arose a uniquely American musical genre, the Blues; the Delta is infamously known for being its birthplace. This genre influenced and gave rise to many other styles of music, including jazz, bluegrass, and rock and roll. Juke joints dot the landscape throughout the Delta, and Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi, owned in part by Morgan Freeman, is a larger establishment celebrating the music that was born here.

Top Row L to R: photo by flickr Frank Peters, Shack Up Inn photo by flickr stephee,

Bottom Row: Photos here and here by flickr jwinfred

Agriculture plays a key role for this area with fertile soil; cotton, soybeans, and rice are critical crops in the Delta, and catfish farms are also aplenty.

The Delta has much to offer visitors including a Viking Cooking School connected with The Alluvian Hotel and Spa, an upscale boutique hotel in Greenwood, Mississippi. In Clarksdale, in addition to Ground Zero, Morgan Freeman is also part owner of a fine dining establishment, Madidi. For those who want a unique lodging experience, just outside Clarksdale is the Shack Up Inn and the Cotton Gin Inn, both operated on the grounds of the former Hopson plantation.

If you make a trip to the land of the Delta blues, I imagine you will find a warm welcome awaiting.