Corbin Amos is a graduate student in the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program. He is completing his certification in Secondary Education. We sat down with Corbin to discuss his experience with the program so far.
Q: Can you share the moment or incident you realized that you wanted to be a teacher?
A: I don’t know, it was kind of a building up process. I think I just had a lot of teachers who invested a lot in my growth. My best example would be one of my English teachers working directly with me on one of my essays. I just felt understood. She gave me very easy to read feedback and I hope to do this for somebody else one day. To see them how they are and work with them.
Q: Is there any subject you are especially interested in teaching and why?
A: I’m certifying in social studies and that one is more just for subject interest than anything else.Ìý
Q: What did you study in undergrad and where did you get your degree?
A: I studied Economics here at ÐÔ°®ÌìÌÃ.
Q: Why did you choose the MAT program at ÐÔ°®ÌìÌÃ? Is there anything specific that intrigued you about it?
A: The biggest draw was it felt very connected already. I had, at some point, known everyone in the faculty. I’ve heard about it since freshman year and with tuition and scholarship, it just made a lot of sense. I felt really good about what I was getting myself into.
Q: Why did you choose secondary education over elementary education?
A: That was a little more of a pick in the dark as you will. I did not strongly lean one way or the other but that was the part in my life where I got specifically interested in teaching the subjects I wanted to teach. That's the part in my mind that I associate with deeper, complex questions.
Q: Tell me about your experience working with high school students. Is there anything you especially like about the experience or anything you learned so far?
A: They’re sharp. I love watching people shine in that class because they ask really good questions and come with their own background knowledge. They also share with each other.
Q: Do you have any advice for anyone considering taking the MAT program at ÐÔ°®ÌìÌÃ?
A: They should at least know that it’s a lot. It’s definitely not a small deal. It’s certainly an investment of time. You always have the option to choose a different job but it’s worth it. There is so much learning that happens and it sort of pays for itself. It expands your mind and it’s a good transition.
Q: Can you share a little bit about your student teaching experience so far?
A: It’s been great. For context, I’m in a government and economics class now and I’ve gotten a good handful of lessons that I’ve done. There’s a good amount of sharing between us. We are both pretty good about answering questions but sometimes questions lead to more questions. We’re on the same team and play our strengths where we see fit.Ìý
Q: What excites you the most about being a teacher?
A: The moments where honestly, you see the student carry some sort of solution to the problem full-term. When you see them just flex the knowledge that they have, a deep knowledge that they have. It’s like sports for me, it’s so much.
If you would like to learn more about the Master of Arts in Teaching graduate program, sign up for our next info session: or email us at education@trinity.edu.Ìý
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