Two Leflore County educators make up the majority of a trio that will present an academic paper in early January on the challenges and rewards of teaching in the Delta.
The group consists of Theresa Amadi, a fourth-grade teacher at Davis Elementary School; Dr. Ying Wang, an assistant professor at Mississippi Valley State University and Pearl Pennington, an administrator with the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.
They'll deliver the collaborative work at the fourth annual International Conference on Education in Honolulu, which starts Jan. 6.
Wang, originally from Beijing, has taught at Valley for two years.
Amadi, originally from Nigeria, is in her second year of teaching.
She also is pursuing a master's in education from Delta State University.
Amandi already has a master's degree in accounting and business administration. She worked as an accountant in Jackson before she and her husband, who is associated with MVSU, moved to Leflore County.
Wang said MVSU secured a No Child Left Behind Act grant from the IHL for a reading institute last summer at the university.
Amadi was one of 33 participants in the institute and among 10 who said they wanted to help with research for a proposal to participate in the conference in Hawaii.
Only Amadi stuck with it.
"She is very persistent," Wang said.
Their research concentrated on information developed in conjunction with the summer reading institute, Wang said.
The study looks at testing, both before and after, and how to use the results to teach more effectively.
The goal of the institute, Amadi said, is "to produce more qualified and effective teachers."
The conference will allow the three women to share what they have learned, especially about teaching in a part of the country that has what they call, "a critical need."
Amadi explained, "We want the world to understand we have a great culture - we have a unique culture - but we are facing this challenge."
Wang added, "I love this culture. It is so fascinating. People here are very kind and generous."
