Emmerson Cox finds purpose and mentorship while student teaching in Lewiston elementary classroom

Emmerson Cox is a Panther.

On weekday mornings when the school bell rings, Cox, who is earning her master’s degree at U of I’s College of Education, Health and Human Sciences while student teaching in Lewiston, repeats the Orchards mission.

Members of the Lewiston Orchards elementary school “lead with integrity, love, empowerment, achievement and discipline,” she says in unison along with the rest of the school’s employees and students.

If the expression has become overly commonplace to the many students and teachers at the school, it rings fresh with Cox, who graduates in Spring ’25. Each day she reminds her home room students that they are intricate and important links of the classroom family and the entire school community, which Cox calls a family.

“We need everybody to be with us to learn together,” she said.

As a student teacher, getting students to want to be part of a collaborative learning  environment is among the strategies she has adopted from her mentor, Idaho’s Teacher of the Year, Heidi Cornell.

“I’ve learned so much from Mrs. Cornell that I will take with me after graduation,” Cox said.

She hopes to earn a spot teaching in an elementary school classroom in one of the Spokane districts in Fall 2025 and plans to employ the wealth of information she has garnered from being mentored by the best teacher in Idaho.

Although Cox spent two years in a variety of elementary and middle school classroom settings in Moscow while earning her degree, being mentored by one of the most admired teachers in the Gem State has been a game changer, Cox said.

“She was so welcoming right from the beginning and took me under her wing,” Cox said about Cornell who has taught in Lewiston since 2009. “I immediately saw why she is so successful in her profession."

Cornell’s classroom is organized and embracing; it provides students with a soothing learning environment, a place where they feel wanted. Cornell’s student-centered education gives learners the space they need to thrive and grow in their own unique ways, Cox said.

She plans to emulate the passion and love for her students she has learned from her mentor teacher.

“For learning to take place you need to know the students, build relationships. That is something Mrs. Cornell instilled in me right from the beginning,” Cox said. “She greets her students with hugs and high fives as they come to class  and she checks in with each of them to see how they are doing; they might be upset, they may not have had breakfast, and she remedies that.”

Cox, who earned undergraduate degrees in criminology and psychology, said her plans to be a probation officer fell by the wayside after college when she volunteered in a middle school classroom. An education course she enrolled in as a non-degree seeking student changed the trajectory of her future.

“I said, OK, this is what I want to do,” she said. “Professor Raney helped me create a study plan to meet my goals, and I applied to graduate school for the Master of Arts in teaching secondary education with an elementary education endorsement.”

After completing several practicums, being chosen to teach under Cornell was the high point of her studies, she said.

“I was in shock, but I knew I was going to gain a lot of valuable knowledge with her,” Cox said. “And I knew it would benefit the future children I’ll be teaching.”

Cornell who regularly opens her classroom to student interns, was equally impressed with Cox.

“The professionalism Emmerson exudes is way beyond her years. Her work ethic is also beyond what I have seen in most, especially for her age. She takes on challenges and problem solves each and every one,” Cornell said. “One of Emmerson’s greatest strengths is her ability to reflect and take feedback. This skill will be to her benefit as she gets her own classroom. She is also a team player and jumps in to be a part of learning and creating, which is vital to what we do in our professional learning community.”

I have really come to value the sense of community at Orchards Elementary and my mentors at U of I, and I will forever be grateful for this experience. Emmerson Cox, student teacher

When the school year ends, Cox will begin applying to schools in the Spokane area, with the hopes of landing a position at an elementary school. 

Until the last school bell at Orchards Elementary rings for the spring semester, however, Cox will continue to be Panther proud.

"I have really come to value the sense of community at Orchards Elementary and my mentors at the University of Idaho," Cox said. "I will forever be grateful to for this experience."

Article by Ralph Bartholdt, University Communications.

Photos by Melissa Hartley, University Visual Productions.

Published in May 2025.