Niesha Mitchell

Ms. Mitchell and her son have enjoyed the higher income she earns since she became a teacher with the help of the Middle Georgia Consortium. “But for me,” she says, “It was never about the money.” She always wanted to teach, but found it a struggle to support herself and her son while getting a degree. Help from the Middle Georgia Consortium was essential in her senior year. Now she teaches science and social studies to fifth graders at Hunt Elementary School, in Fort Valley. She enjoys the fact that fifth graders are older and it is possible to do more hands-on experience with them than with younger children. In social studies too, hands-on work with time lines helps her make subjects like the Civil War come alive for the class. She says, “I love the look on students’ faces when they learn something. That happiness just shines.” When a born teacher like Ms. Mitchell can leave sales clerk jobs behind and do what she loves, we all benefit: herself, the community, and most of all, her students.