Write about your first week in the Mississippi Teacher Corps. What are your first impressions? How has the transition been? What questions do you still have?
My first week here has been far better than I imagined it would be. From the minute I was greeted and picked up from my 35-hour bus ride in Batesville, to the welcoming of my Southern roomie, to second-years’ generous offers to coach me and assist me as I make my novice attempts at lesson planning, to other first-years whose openness to making new friends and helping one another is hugely reassuring, I am delighted to find myself here, sitting in a Northgate Apartment in Oxford, MS. I really can’t believe I am here, and that this thing I’ve been dreaming of for so long (teaching) is about to blossom into reality.
This has been a week of preparation. The pace is just right, too, just right for a transition into what I anticipate will be heavy work. This week, there has been ample time each day to meet more of our class (there are 27 of us...and there are still 5 or so people I have barely talked to as of yet), and to keep learning more about those few people who I find myself continually sitting by in morning sessions and afternoon classes (because we share both subjects and interests).
I feel like everyone here is an exceptional individual, but that I’ve merely scratched the surface of their accomplishments and life experiences. (For instance, one of our corps members has already taught a class, all on her own, while she was a college student! Wow!) Also, I can tell by the way my fellow corps members write their blog entries – with personality, flair, a true sense of voice and the flow of good prose (even the math teachers!) – that I am surrounded by a community of bright, hopeful people. Never before have I given blogs the time of day, but now I avidly read them, because I know their authors, which makes the content compelling. As I think about the corps and about being a corps member myself, I keep reminding myself that we are all in the same boat, that we are all like fresh-minted pennies at teaching, that we all have a great challenge in the school year ahead of us, and that we are taking this journey together. I think that’s a pretty incredible, uncommon privilege, to be able to enter into teaching in a highly communal way. As I learned in my sociology of education class this spring, the “eggcrate” model of teaching (in which each teacher is siphoned off into his/her own world in his/her own classroom), which utterly dominates schools today, can be a highly isolating experience for teachers. I am so thankful to be in a place where I can grow as a teacher with the constant “watering” of the resources MTC gives, as well as the strength learning from peers can give.
In the short span of six days, I have already seen this peer-to-peer learning take place. Going out to group dinners with second-years has actually been one of the richest learning-grounds for me this week. For one thing, it’s so encouraging to me, as a beginner, to see how solid and deep the second years’ friendships with each other have become. As I look at them and am casting the foundation of friendships this week, it excites me to see where they are. Secondly, over the course of dinners with second-years, I have come to realize (alright, I am still coming to realize) how important it will be for me to integrate with the culture here if I am ever going be even close to an effective teacher. The goal is not merely to learn about the South and grow to appreciate its culture over the span of two years. No, the goal is to become part of this place. Appreciating something (as well as any attempt at service) requires some intimacy and investment, rather than a lukewarm appraisal from a safe distance. The MTC Wiki, written by current and former corps members, advises getting involved in one’s neighborhood as much as possible, by being friendly with neighbors, going to church, etc. I am very excited by the prospect of integrating into a new place, and look to the second-years so give me a clearer idea of how this has worked for them.
So my major first impression of MTC has been, “wow, I feel so privileged and secure as part of this strong community! And they provide so many resources to foster my growth as a teacher!” The combination of teaching with learning is a great one, as good as ice cream with a brownie. Hearing Dr. Mullins’ lecture and being in Ann’s class have been engaging, favorite parts of this first week. Also, I am so happy that the Wiki lesson plan files exist. I am definitely the type of person who likes to exercise her own creativity as much as possible, but this file of lesson plans is like a gold mine for ideas and guidance, and a safety net for when exhaustion should come. I am very happy to follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before me, and NOT try to do this all by myself. Whenever I feel overwhelmed about my pending teaching career (which will begin with my first summer school class lesson on the rapidly-approaching date of Wednesday), I need to remember: I am not doing this on my own, but I have been provided with an community of people and a wealth of resources to guide me.
My other impressions this week have not been related to the corps, but to the South. My friend from Colorado assured me I would like it, and she was right. I am glad I am acclimated to nature from being raised in the semi-countryside of Colorado, though, because on my run today, I encountered five (rather gruesome!) roadkill – snakes, turtles, raccoon, and others I kept my eyes from – but the rest of the run was so beautiful, this didn’t shake me a bit. The smell of the air (not the roadkill), the sound of the gravel, and the cool shade of the huge, lush trees are invigorating and refreshing. Even the powerful sun and humidity feel really good (maybe I am crazy, or still in the early, enamored stage of getting acquainted with Mississippi). I also like fried catfish and hushpuppies a lot.
Transition into this new stage of life has been smooth and wonderful, despite the rapid and extreme nature of moving from college, finals, farewells, graduation, and move-out to a new place, new people, new responsibilities and new blessings. I am as prepared and equipped as anyone could be to start teaching (not on my own account, but on account of the impressions listed above), even though I am still very nervous about it. The questions that remain in my mind are, is it nearly impossible to both coach and teach at the same time? When will I get my exact placement in Jackson, and where will it be (this is a pending process)? What are particular survival strategies second-years (and vets before them) used to get through fall semester, since it sounds like it might be a particularly trying and difficult adjustment?
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