There is little mistaking where the Mississippi Delta begins. With its flat and fertile alluvial plains governed by the wandering whims of the Mississippi, Yazoo, St. Francis, and White Rivers, along with its breathtaking sunsets and star-filled night skies, The Delta’s geography is distinct and beautiful, but a deeper look reveals a more complicated scene, where the legacy of the South’s storied past plays out in the lives of the students and their families every day.
| Quick Stats |
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| Site Since: 1991 |
| Corps Size: 156 |
| Average yearly temperature: 61.7° |
| Car: Access to car is essential |
Salary: See cost of living  |
Despite persistent economic and social challenges, the region has a culture and legacy as rich as its soil. Deltans have contributed elements of culture that have changed the entire nation including blues music, the literary imaginations of William Faulkner and Richard Wright, and the Civil Rights Movement. Each town where Teach For America places corps members has a rich history, from Fannie Lou Hamer’s hometown in Ruleville, to Jim Henson’s birthplace in Leland, and B.B. King’s birthplace near Indianola.
Life
Teach For America • Delta’s reach includes two states – Arkansas and Mississippi – and stretches some 150 miles from Forrest City, Arkansas in the north, to Greenville, Mississippi, in the south. The Delta offers corps members a wide variety of living and teaching experiences. Several towns where we place are quite small – around 500 people or less. The largest town, Greenville, has 42,000 citizens. Corps members tend to live together in low-rent, larger houses in the communities where they teach, or within a 20-35 minute commute to their schools. Placement districts are clustered, giving corps members the chance to live close together and imbed themselves in their communities despite the vast span of the region.
With 30 minutes of driving or less, all corps members can attain necessities from a sizeable grocery store, Wal-Mart, or other chain store. Specialty stores and boutiques also abound in some historic downtowns. Additionally, nearby major cities such as Memphis, Jackson, and Little Rock give corps members access to the amenities of city life in a two-hour drive or less. The way the corps spends its leisure time reflects both the diversity of its members and of their surroundings. They can often be found enjoying one another’s company on neighborhood porches; exploring, hiking, camping, and canoeing in the local wildlife; attending the Warfield concert series or stage plays; eating weekly dinners at the local Mexican restaurant; or playing an informal sports game. Most are also sure to take advantage of such quintessential Delta institutions as the Delta Cultural Center, the King Biscuit Blues Festival, and the Leland Crawfish Festival.
Now in its 17th year, the Delta corps looks forward to introducing you to the area’s vast array of sights and experiences. From crop dusters to catfish, blues clubs to blue herons, there’s the potential for something new each day.
Corps Culture
While the Delta corps has grown from 9 to 156 corps members over the past 16 years, the initial sense of tight-knit camaraderie and cohesiveness has not faded. The Delta’s growing corps values not only professional collaboration, but also less formal interactions such as weekly potluck dinners, Tuesday night movie and book clubs, and Frisbee games every Sunday afternoon. While corps members may be spread out over many miles, the Delta corps and staff have worked diligently to build a comprehensive support network comprised of current corps members, alumni, and local teachers, who work closely to share expertise and provide support to first-year corps members and one another.
Second-year corps members and alumni also lead learning teams and courses at monthly Professional Saturday meetings where all corps members gather to hone their teaching skills and collaborate with peers from across the Delta. First-year teachers also attend New Teacher Support Groups in their local community where they problem-solve in small groups and unite to surmount challenges. Program directors visit corps member classrooms for observations and conversations regularly, and corps members also set up informal observations and trouble shooting with one another in their schools and districts.
Our corps members
Placement regions
Corps and Alumni
