Quenton: Deerfield Beach tutor

Certified Tutor

If you asked me the questions "What do you want to be and why?" ten years ago, I would honestly never say an educator. I would have replied, "I want to be a doctor because I want to help people in my Delta community". I spent most of my undergraduate years at the University of Southern Mississippi as a biology major with intentions of pursuing a career in the medical field. So, teaching was the furthest thing from my mind. I was focused on completing reactions and rearranging equations. That all changed once I took the sociology course.

After taking sociology of education, I learned that the quality of teachers, the racial demographic of the schools, and the location of residence impacted quality of education that I would receive. I realized that if I had stayed and graduated in the Delta area, I would not have been prepared for college. I am thankful for programs and institutions that gave me an opportunity to overcome those limitations, such as the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science (MSMS) in Columbus, MS. It is because of MSMS that I was exposed to teachers that used various teaching methods to engage with students. I learned what it was like to use lab tools and conduct various experiments. I also had access to technology that I did not have in my hometown.

The accumulation of my experiences in sociology and teachers at MSMS is why I decided to pursue a degree in teaching and join the Mississippi Teacher Corp at the University of Mississippi. In the program, I learned the nuances and roles of a teacher. I learned how to prepare effective lessons and to implement teaching strategies. I learned various methods on managing classroom behaviors and how to analyze test data. I utilized the data to create differentiation plans for students. I hoped to implement everything I learned, and impact student lives in my hometown of Greenwood, MS (a region in the Mississippi deltaa critical need learning area). I was able to teach science and biology using the tools that I learned. I built relationships with my students and was involved in my community. I've taught science and biology for the last four years. I also have experience teaching math and algebra.