𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞? 𝟏𝟔𝟏 | 𝐃𝐫. 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐲𝐞𝐫

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: In this episode of The Rural Scoop, Dr. Melissa Sadorf sits down with Dr. Lindsay Colyer, Mississippi's Rural Teacher of the Year and a science teacher at the Mississippi School of the Arts. Dr. Colyer shares her journey from earning a Ph.D. and working in higher education to finding her calling in rural classrooms. She discusses the realities of teaching multiple science subjects, building engaging and hands-on learning experiences, supporting students through strong routines and relationships, and advocating for rural educators across Mississippi. The conversation explores teacher workload, student access challenges, the importance of instructional time, creative classroom strategies, and why community remains one of rural education's greatest strengths. Dr. Colyer also reflects on what her Rural Teacher of the Year recognition means and how she plans to use her platform to support fellow educators. 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬: 00:00 Rural Excellence Spotlight 00:56 Meet Dr Collier 02:00 Science Origin Story 04:25 Teachers Who Shaped Her 06:57 Rural Teacher Honor 10:39 Realities Of Rural Teaching 15:41 Inside Her Classroom 22:02 Equity And Access Gaps 26:18 Staying Hopeful In Hard Times 30:07 What Leaders Should Prioritize 35:09 Using The Platform 40:18 Rural Advantage And Farewell 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Dr. Lindsay Colyer's story is a powerful reminder that rural educators are doing extraordinary work every day. Through her passion for science, commitment to students, and advocacy for fellow teachers, she demonstrates how excellence flourishes when strong instruction, meaningful relationships, and community support come together. Her perspective highlights both the challenges and opportunities facing rural education while reinforcing a simple truth: rural schools are filled with innovation, resilience, and educators dedicated to helping every student succeed.  𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 & 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞: © 2026 Melissa Sadorf / The Rural Scoop. All rights reserved. The content of The Rural Scoop, including podcast episodes, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and other original materials, is protected by copyright. No portion of this content may be reproduced, republished, distributed, modified, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from the copyright owner. Brief quotations or other uses may be permitted under applicable fair-use principles. For permission requests, please contact: Dr. Melissa Sadorf Email: [email protected] Phone: (520) 266-0081