Day 4: Magazine Street

Magazine Street is a really well-known street in New Orleans, maybe like Denver's Colfax. Last night the other intern in New Orleans, C, and I explored and had a po-boy dinner at Mahoney's. We drove and walked around first, too.

So I didn't realize I live literally 2 blocks from the Mississippi River. Beyond my street is Annunciation and Tc (pronounced chap-a-tool-is) --great street names, right? There are mostly walls blocking off any sight of the water, so no wonder I didn't know. Wharfs line the shore (is that the right word for the side of a river? A bank?). Another word I love. I giggled all night whenever that word came up: "wharfs!" Above is a pretty bridge that broke the wall/wharfs monotony.

Beads. A staple here.

So this was a sight-- a giant Zeus sculpture! Also, I didn't know Mardi Gras was "made" anywhere.... Worth a field trip, I think.

I have a lot of things non-touristy related to report too. Like today I sat down and had a here's-what-I've-done so far, what-do-I-do-next meeting with my supervisor. I then told her about the three research projects I've done during my first year at Emory. She said I could present one over a lunch later this summer, my factor analysis, teacher interview project (my second year paper/MA thesis). She said during the academic year, ed researchers in this suite and office suites around us get together for a monthly "Ed Heads" gathering. Too bad they're not in session now!

Soon, I intend to write a blog post about the education system in New Orleans. I thought I knew my stuff about alternate routes, etc., but here, everything is so tangled and intertwined and it's like the information is deep and thick. I haven't arrived at a feeling of mastery or understanding of the teacher/principal ("human capital") scene here in this city yet. My task today is to research larger cities with charter schools and how they have tracked the recruitment and retention problems of staffing their schools.

I'm definitely learning.... It's a good feeling.