Posts (page 2)

By all definition, I am Southern. Although I wasn't born in the "Deep South", I was raised here. I say y'all and "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am" and "yes sir" and "no sir". Sweet tea runs through my veins like water. I wear pearls- everyday. I spent thirteen years at the same private school that wouldn't have been founded had it not been for desegragation. I was a debutante (twice). I played outside year round and went barefoot as much as my parents would allow. Most Thanksgivings and Christmases were warm enough to spend the entire day outside. Instead of snow days, I experienced hurricane and tornado days- with the exception of the blizzard of 1993. I learned how to shoot a gun when I was five. By the time I entered Kindergarten, I knew that I cheered for Alabama and not Auburn and that switching sides was not an option, especially after the Iron Bowl. Despite being raised below the Mason-Dixon line, I didn't grow up completely Southern.

My dad was born and raised in a little town in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country called Leesport. He met and married my mama in West Virginia, and shortly thereafter, all three of us moved to a suburb in Northeast Philadelphia. Mama got homesick, and within two years, my daddy was a transplant, a Yankee in the midst of an unfamiliar culture- the Deep South. Yes, I was raised in the South with Southern values; however, Daddy did have some influence and the Northern culture was passed along too. I've spent part of every year in Pennsylvania, from the time I moved to Alabama until I graduated from high school. My Southern upbringing was accented with Daddy's select Pennsylvania Dutch phrases, his insistence that I wear ballet shoes to church when every other Southern girl went barefoot, and the sound of excitement in his voice as he cheered on JoePa and Penn State's Nittany Lions on Saturdays in the fall. For good luck on New Year's, Daddy added sauerkraut and pork to the traditional Southern black eyed peas and collard greens. Though far away from his alma matter, Daddy made sure that we experienced Penn State football both in Happy Valley and down South for bowl games. He proudly stood out and refused (and still does refuse) to conform to every aspect of Southern culture which, at times, can be very frustrating.

Now flash forward to this past weekend. This was the first time I had been to PA in almost a year and a half, as studying abroad and working at a camp the last two summers has not been conducive to visiting my family above the Mason-Dixon Line. I can't help it; I love it up there. Pennsylvania isn't home, but it's always been a place where I've felt like I belonged. On Monday morning, Daddy, Robbie, and I went to visit (great) Aunt Edna and (great) Uncle Dave who (on a side note) just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Dave is 90 and battling Alzeheimers; Edna is 84 and trying to take care of Dave (with the help of others). On the way back to the hotel to pick up Mama, Daddy asked Robbie and I if we could navigate our way around the area. Honestly, with my direction sense, probably not; however, I'm not entirely sure that's true. I know the roads (US Hwy 222) and where certain towns are in relation to others (Leesport, Reading, Wyomissing). I practically grew up in the area. He also asked us what we thought about our bi-cultural upbringing, if we were glad to have been raised both Southern and Northern, if we appreciated the Yankee Seip traditions as much as we do the Southern McLean traditions.  

As a total Daddy's girl, my answer was, and still is, yes- absolutely. I've always felt more connected to the Seip side of my family rather than the McLean side (Mama's side). For one, I look just like my dad and have been told my entire life that if Rob Seip were female, he would look like me. Also, I've inherited the horrible Gibson/Seip family eye sight and inability to sleep. My interests tend to come from my dad's side- my fascination with maps and foreign places, my love for history, travel, and sports, my thirst for books and learning. Daddy's side of the family has always been intriguing: the original Seip clan came over from Germany in the 1700s, and for the last 300 years, they have lived within a 10 mile radius of where the originals settled in Eastern Pennsylvania long ago. Few moved until their health and age required them to do otherwise, like my grandparents who moved to Muhlenberg after living in the same house in Leesport for 46 years.

As far as my bi-cultural upbringing, I wouldn't trade it for the world. My vantage point and view of the world has changed with each visit to the "homeland". I've learned new things about my beloved South from those not living amidst the fried chicken and hospitality and experienced a different lifestyle for a few weeks out of every year. As I bounced back and forth between Pennsylvania and Alabama, I learned how to adapt. My Daddy instilled in me a work ethic that came from being raised in a land not known for its hospitality or charm. While I was discovering who I was in a part of the country that tended to push conformity, Daddy encouraged me to be Ashton and not anyone else. I've loved growing up in both worlds. I love the South for the people, the culture, the weather, and the excitement that I feel each time my accent confirms my Southern upbringing. I love the North for the people (and the warmth they do not exude), the landscape, and the sense of belonging that I feel every time I see the familiar sights that are far away from the place that I call "home". It's been wonderful, and I think Daddy was right when he said that my Berks County heritage is something that I will appreciate more and more with time. But with that I can't help but believe that I'll always be a Southern girl at heart... 

I'm writing this blog from a hotel lobby in Reading, PA, after a great weekend with the fam. I feel a little weird typing this up as the place still reeks of Indian food from some reception fiesta held in a meeting room here earlier tonight. Anyway, here goes.

Ellen Meacham came and spoke to us on maybe Wednesday afternoon? I can't remember. Anyway, she's writing a book about Robert Kennedy's trip through the Mississippi Delta in 1967 (?). Overall, her talk was interesting and she's clearly done her research on the topic. She started her lecture with a little bit of background, creating a segway into the possible motives behind Kennedy's trip. I owe Patrick a thank you, as watching him teach earlier in the day equipped me with the knowledge to answer Meacham's first question about LBJ's social/economic policy known as the "Great Society". After establishing the historical context (the death of JFK, LBJ's "Great Society", the current role of government), Meacham began to detail just how Robert Kennedy found himself in the Mississippi Delta.

Appointed Attorney General under his brother, Kennedy had established himself as an active member of desegragation. He enforced integration and supported the Freedom Riders; he was involved with integration of Ole Miss. Before making his trip to Mississippi, Kennedy had already established himself as a vocal voice for change. In fact, he'd even argued with LBJ to get troops out of Vietnam, a war his deceased brother initiated. In 1967, Robert Kennedy would have another chance to voice the need for change in the slowly desegregrating South.  

Kennedy and Joe Clark (PA) along with the rest of the Senate had the opportunity to hear Marian Wright of the NAACP speak in a Senate hearing. Wright talked about the people of the Mississippi Delta and ow they were in "dire straights". Kennedy and Clark heard the urgency in her voice, and quickly planned an additional hearing and a trip to Mississippi. Fortunately for Kennedy and Clark, Mississippi did not pose a political risk. Neither Senator had any alliace with either of the Mississippi Senators, and neither Kennedy nor Clark needed anything that either MS Senator had to offer. In April of 1967, Kennedy listened to Wright again, only this time in Jackson, MS.

In an effort to help out the struggling South, Congress increased the minimum wage of farmers. Unfortunately for the South, this proved to be a "law of unintended consquences". The new minimum wage forced farmers to cut jobs. New subsidies required farmers to cut back on the acres farmed. By switching from Free Commodities to Food Stamps, real starvation and increased malnutrition became realities in the Deep South. Food Stamps required those in need to pay money; whereas the Free Commodities system did not. In the South, there were many people who didn't earn a living, and therefore, had no way to pay for Food Stamps. Enter Robert Kennedy.

While dining in Jackson after Wright's hearing, Kennedy looked around and asked those dining with him who he could trust. He needed someone to show him the truth, how the people of Mississippi were really doing. Kennedy took twelve national reporters with him to Greenville, a progressive part of the Delta at the time, to investigate and see for himself the horrors that Wright so vividly described. What Kennedy saw was gut-wrenching. He spent his time talking to the children, opening cabinets, and asking them what they'd eaten that day. When asked later about what he'd seen, Kennedy responded saying that he had never seen the poverty in the Delta anywhere but in third world countries. He met children and adults in filthy, tattered clothes who were starving, who hadn't eaten in days and still didn't know where their next meal would come from. But the question still remains, why did Robert Kennedy make his trip to the Delta?

According to Meacham and her research, Kennedy didn't go to the Delta to set an agenda. He didn't go to make himself look better to the media or his colleagues. He went as an activist. He went to see for himself exactly what Marian Wright meant when she said that the people of the Mississippi Delta were in "dire straights". If seeing is believing, then Robert Kennedy certainly believed and understood the depth and meaning of Wright's words.  

After a very nice drive on US Hwy 78 and an even more exciting drive through Birmingham in torrential rain, I made it home- to Montgomery. Because I am tired of people confusing Birmingham and Montgomery (and no, they're not the same place)/ annoyed with the fact that some people assume that because I'm from Alabama I must be from Birmingham, I decided to post a short geography/ history lesson- Alabama style- for all those who might need some clarification. 

I found this map online and added to it- Montgomery is the city underlined/starred in red. Birmingham is the city in blue. Notice- they are not located in the same place; therefore, they cannot be the same city. As a matter of fact, GoogleMaps says that there's approximately 90.3 miles between the two cities, if one should chose to drive on I-65.

Now for the short history lesson:

Remember the bus boycott with Rosa Parks? That happened in Montgomery- not Birmingham. Martin Luther King's Dexter Avenue Baptist Church? That would be Dexter Avenue in Montgomery- not Birmingham. The so-called Civil Rights Capital of the World? That's Montgomery- not Birmingham. Home to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the Southern Writers Project? Montgomery- not Birmingham. The first White House of the Confederacy? Yup, you got it- it was in Montgomery- not Birmingham.

Where were Martin Luther King, Jr's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" written? Birmingham- not Montgomery. Where was the church that killed the four little black girls during the Civil Rights Movement? Birmingham- not Montgomery. Where's UAB located? Birmingham- not Montgomery. What city was the site for the 1996 Olympic Soccer games? Birmingham- not Montgomery.

I hope my short lesson has cleared up any confusion that may have existed and confirmed the fact that Montgomery and Birmingham are not the same city. Alabama isn't that big, but there are plenty of places to live beyond Birmingham. And yes, automobiles have finally made it and now people can move around from one place to the other- they can even leave the state if they so desire.  

I found Reggie Barnes' lecture to be incredibly interesting. His energy and enthusiasm kept me interested and engaged despite my being dead tired. I took a lot of notes and felt like he gave some great advice for future educators. So here are the highlights- summed up in what I'm calling:

- The kids of today are survivors. They aren't like the kids that we grew up with, they're focused with one objective in mind: survival. This is their mentality in and out of school and teachers had better be prepared for it.
- The lack of resources means that as a teacher, one must figure out how to get what one does not have. Somebody in the vast expanse of the world will be willing to help you out; however, they will not be knocking on your door- you must find them.
- Don't go into your pocket to foot the bill for your kids, seemingly unattainable resources, etc.
- Diet reflects on the child's ability to perform in school. A kid who's hungry will have a harder time paying attention than a kid whose belly is full.
- The apple doesn't fall from the tree. Just like us, these kids are products of their parents- and most of them aren't coming from much. 
- The job of the teacher is to get parents involved in what's going on in the classroom. Involved parents produce involved students.
- The kids don't know what they don't know.
- As a teacher, one must be able to become one of them. Teachers must become a part of their community.
- If a teacher doesn't take control of his classroom within the first two days of school, the whole year is lost.
- The kicker to keeping control of the classroom: bell to bell teaching.
- Coaching is a stress relief.
- It's up to a teacher to change the delivery of instruction so that the students will understand, be motivated, etc.
- Don't assume that the students can't do the work. They can if someone believes in them and the method of instruction is altered in such a way that they can understand.
- Teachers don't need books to teach.
- The kicker to having success in the classroom: love the students who sit within its walls.
- Teachers need to be two things while teaching: loose and themselves.
- Every lesson taught can be fun.
- Every lesson beings and ends with the teacher.
- If the students fail, the teacher fails.
- The kicker to preventing total failure: total commitment.
- Teachers have got to find a way to reach every kid.
- There's a different between a knight and a teacher.
- Training is nothing but being taught.
- Every kid isn't going to pass. But that child will continue to walk through the door and you cannot let him fail year after year after year.
- Every student is an individual.
- Rules are made to be broken.
- A good teacher is challenged intellectually everyday.
- Everything is about culture; learning is about culture.
- Everything isn't failing in Mississippi- yup, somethings are going well for the Magnolia State.
- When you're up against trouble, face it head on.

And on a side note that has nothing to do with anything but my own happiness, I ordered three books from Amazon (used) and they came into day. It was like Christmas... except I paid for them.

As a product of the private school system, I found Marian Barksdale's talk about the duties and responsibilities of the Oxford School Board to be very interesting and enlightening. The Montgomery Academy, my home for 13 years, is autonomous. The school is run by the very people within it, the Board of Directors, the Board of Trustees, the POA (Parents of the Academy). Barksdale described the purposes and functions of the school board. Oddly enough, they function much in the same way that every Academy board does. Novel idea, right? They set the goals of the district, and the schools figure out how to put those plans into action. As interesting as everything was about the OSB, the thing that struck me most about Barksdale's talk wasn't on the topic of the school board. For the last five-ish years, Barksdale has been tutoring a kid named Brandon. She told us a little bit about him and the work that she has done with him. Brandon, like many kids, is being raised by single mother. His family is poor, and he's moved seven times within the last five years. His mother is trying the very best she can with what limited education and resources she has, but unfortunately, her best isn't enough for her son. That's where Barksdale comes in- she provides in ways that Brandon's mother cannot. Barksdale is his advocate.

The whole idea of being an advocate for a child struck something within me. There are plenty of kids whose parents simply cannot or chose not to speak up on behalf of their children. I think that's part of the reason why I want to teach-to give kids without a voice someone to speak for them. My parents (specifically my mama) have always been the first to go up to bat for me or my brother should the need arise. Since arriving at Ole Miss, they have taken the back seat approach and let me handle my own issues. However, I know that if on that rare occasion my voice isn't loud enough, they will help me out- but only if I ask. I know that I'm in the minority though. My parents care about my education, and even though my dad has finally written his *last* tuition check to MA, they still care. They want what's best for me and my brother, and they're willing to help me out if need be. Teachers are in a unique position. While some are parents, there are plenty who are not; however, for eight or more hours a day, these people take on not just the roles of educators but the roles of parents (in loco parentis- not sure about the spelling) as well. In theory, parents are supposed to serve as adovocates for their children. It makes sense that teachers should also serve as adovocates for their students. Kids need someone who will speak up for them when things go ary, when they are not being treated properly. I think that's the cool thing about teaching, although I'm sure it's also very hard. I don't know... I really liked listening to her experiences with Brandon, and I can't think of a more noble position than being an adovocate for a kid who can't speak for himself.

So for one of our blog assignments this week, Ben is letting us go for it and write about whatever we choose. My life has pretty much been marked by my summers, and generally, those have been the times when I’ve learned the most about myself and others. After endless summers as a camper and two summers as a counselor, my friends and I decided to compile a list entitled “Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned at Camp”. Alas, I am not at camp this summer; however, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t learned my fair share already. My time as an intern at MTC has left me wondering if there are some things that summer camp didn’t teach me. So here goes, my shot at “Everything I Ever Need to Know I Learned at MTC, specifically at Holly Springs Summer School”…

*these are very tongue and cheek- take them for what you will- I did not set out to offend anyone*

Life Lessons: MTC style (in no particular order- one may come at a later date though)

- bells do not ring automatically, there is no omniscient power that makes that heinous noise fill the hallways at exactly the right time. someone is pushing that button, and therefore, the bells will not ring unless they are “mashed” (to use a little Southern lingo)

- ringing the bells is, perhaps, one of the worst jobs in the world

- just like children, the copy machine will respond to corporal punishment (bad joke, sorry, but it’s true)

- being an adult does not make you competent or intelligent or worthy of running a school

- cooler bread is easier to slice that warm bread

- walking down the hallway with a bread knife does not fall into the category of what one might call a "bright idea"

- vegans are proof that man can survive on air

- somebody’s always gonna complain

- schools and circuses are very similar- both tend to be run by clowns

- not all bus drivers fully understand their jobs- leaving kids does not lessen their work load, it only creates more work when they have to turn around and pick them up

- cafeteria food leaves many a lunch lady with a permanent frown and cheerful chatter from school workers only further cements those lines

- shaking the printer ink cartridge makes it last longer

- experience turns a novice into a pro- especially when it comes to fixing printers and copiers

- plastic transparencies + the heat of the copier= disaster for the person fixing the copier

- being literate does not mean that one can actually follow directions

- maturity doesn’t always come with age

- work hard, play harder

- surprisingly, waking up at 5am is not a huge incentive to go to bed earlier

- if turn your work in on time, you will get credit. if you don’t, you won’t.

- smooth sailing is an oxymoron, something will always throw off even the most perfect of systems

- whoever makes the Mississippi public school lunches must've wanted the state to be first in something… too bad it happened to be obesity.

- to some people, “mailing address” reads “emailing address”

- some people are just dumb

- when giving a contact number as a parent, it makes logical sense to give a number that doesn’t actually contact anyone.

- coffee makes the world go round and gives teachers and interns the ability to function

- never underestimate the power of the masses… and their stupidity.

- whoever said that PE games were color blind never played kickball.

- technology will fail when you need it the most

- who really needs to dial out on the office phone? that access code would’ve been useless anyway… except when calling the “contact” numbers of students.

- why do something by yourself when you can get other people involved and have the task take twice as long? the more the merrier, right?

- tomato, tomahto; human, herman- it’s all the same

- the constitutional right to attend Vacation Bible School does not exist

- the rules don’t really apply to anyone, right?

- thinking in school, while logical to some, is a foreign concept to others- in particular, the students.

Anyway, I hope that this list will continue to grow after I spend some time at the School of Education and the William Winter Institute. Finally, in response to several questions asking how I stay so energized all the time, no it’s not caffeine or the Adderall. I was actually raised that way- blame Mama Seip. She drilled a crazy work ethic into my brother and I, as she expected our best all the time. Failure is an option, but only if we did the very best we could do. So really, the energy is just who I am and how I’ve been raised. I can’t help but give 100% at work... the same cannot be said for every aspect of my life but definitely for most of it. And I’m grateful for that… last summer, it meant that I got to build lots of fires instead of move bunk beds, and this summer, it’s prevented me from being bored at HSHS. Who knew it would actually pay off to work hard? haha...

When Ben first proposed the idea of the summer project, I started thinking about the images of summer: camp, the woods, sunshine, bugs, heat, camp fires, creeks, small towns. As anyone who’s ever been to or worked at a camp can tell you, summer camps are not placed anywhere near what one would call a big city. In fact, their locations tend to fall into the “middle of nowhere” category. After countless childhood summers spent at Camp Mac in Munford, Alabama, high school summers spent at JH Ranch in Etna, California, and college summers spent at Sky Ranch in Van, Texas, Quapaw, Oklahoma, and Powderhorn, Colorado, I discovered a love for small towns and the life they bring to the world outside of big cities. For campers, these towns are home to wonderful “last-real-food-before-camp” locales such as the Dairy Queen in Munford. For counselors, these small towns provide a place to do laundry, a place to relax, and a place to breathe. Last summer on the way to Colorado, I posed the following questions to a fellow counselor somewhere between the Monarch Pass and Gunnison, CO: who do you think lives in these towns? what are they like? how did they end up in this place that seems to be untouched by time? Not knowing anything about these people or these little towns that dotted the valleys, we could only speculate. So when Ben posed the idea of the summer project, my mind went back to that conversation.

Mississippi, unlike most states, doesn’t have a big city. And no, Jackson doesn’t count. The whole state is one small town after another. Drive down I-55 and what do you see? Exit signs for towns that most people across the country have never heard of. I couldn’t help but be intrigued and decided to focus my project on the idea of small town America in Mississippi. Although I initially thought that I would focus my project on Marks, I have since decided on Holly Springs as every drive through the town square takes me back to the town square in downtown Denton, Texas. Specifically, my project is the American Dream in Holly Springs, Mississippi. After briefly talking with Molly yesterday, I plan on talking to the friends that she has made during the year. I want to know about the history of the town, how they got there, why they’re still there, their livelihoods, their ideas of the American Dream. Molly has already given me a great list of people to talk to, and I’m sure as I begin more in depth research, that list will grow. My final project will be a video-esque slideshow kind of deal with pictures (many of which will be from Molly and Ruth Kuhnau who did a video essay on Holly Springs) and words.  It should be good… I’m excited.

*disclaimer: this was written after very little sleep, and although I've attempted to remove all grammatical errors, I'm sure that I did not correct them all- I have an English minor, who cares*

So, I came into this internship with the idea that I would never be a teacher or participate in MTC. For the last three years, I've been trying to figure out a way to get to Texas (sounds way lame, I know). Some of my best friends in the entire world live in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex area as well as my sweet girls from last summer. DFW is a great area, and surprisingly enough, I actually know my way around- most of the time anyway. When I travel, that's generally where I'm headed: Dallas. Funny thing is that only a few short weeks later I find myself questioning my initial ideas. Education runs in my family, although neither one of my parents teaches. My grandfather taught United States History and coached basketball at Muhlenberg High School near Reading, PA, for years. My uncle is an assistant principal at Deltona High School near Daytona, Florida. My mom is a nurse anesthetist; however, she also teaches CPR on the side. Honestly though, the one thing I never thought I would enjoy or ever be was a teacher (on a side note, Ole Miss was also the last school I'd ever though I'd attend- and look where I ended up).

When I was eight or nine years old, my family was at the Alabama State Fair (I think), and my parents let my brother and I chose one of those carnival games to play. Rob chose something crazy hard and probably won a goldfish for it, but I chose the duck game- where all you have to do is pick a rubber duck with the right color sticker on its underside and you'll be a winner. At some point after the family fun extravaganza at the state fair, my dad said that all I would ever be was a Kindergarten teacher. I chose the easy route. That sounds harsh, but I don't think it was meant to be that way but I definitely took it that way at the time. With that in the back of my mind for the last 13 or so years, I have pretty much taken any path that would not lead me to teaching- just to prove him wrong. After finally deciding on a major, I figured that there was no way that PoliSci would ever lead me to the classroom. Well, life is funny. I applied for the MTC internship last summer and didn't get it. I packed up and headed to Oklahoma and Colorado where I had an incredible summer backpacking with high school kids at a Sky Ranch, a Christian camp with a base in Van, Texas.

Anyway, fast forward to January- I applied for the internship again (thanks to the encouragement of my boss at the Athletic Academic Support Center- OSAAS). Ben called and I got the job. Success. Once again, everyone asked me about the internship: does this mean you want to teach? My immediate response has always been no, absolutely not. Law school was always my plan- I love Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law in Dallas as well as the University of Texas' law program in Austin. So, about that LSAT. As my other friends were busy studying for the LSAT, MCAT, GRE, GMAT, etc. this semester, I was busy tutoring 15 hours a week with 16 hours of class combined with everything else. LSAT study time disappeared. I probably could've made time, but I wasn't really that motivated. School ended, I watched my little brother graduate from high school, spent some time with the fam in Atlanta, and headed back to Oxford. 

The first few days of the internship were a little tedious, but then summer school started! I love it... I'm not teaching but I get to problem solve every day. I get to be creative and find solutions when random crap happens. I've gotten to experience all the wonderful disorganization that is the Holly Springs Central Office. As crazy as it sounds, I've really enjoyed it. I think I would fit with this program. I am constantly reminded of my job as an athletic tutor and camp counselor. When I started thinking about why I loved those jobs, I couldn't help but think that those reasons may be reasons to be a teacher. I love working with high schoolers- they're interesting and they tend to have a lot of real stuff going on in their lives. I love pushing kids beyond what they think is possible just by believing in them and holding them to a higher standard. During the last two years, I've had the opportunity to invest myself in the lives of lots of athletes and high school kids. I love it. I know that MTC isn't easy, and honestly, I don't have the slightest clue on how to write a lesson plan or any of that kind of stuff. As a tutor, I've attempted to convey the same message in 80 bajillion different ways and still have athletes who do not understand it. I've had guys get stuff quickly and others of whom I'm convinced may have never understood a word I said. I've had days when my best simply wasn't good enough to get the material across. I've watched my high schoolers and athletes struggle. I hate watching kids who have so much potential crumble due to outside circumstances. I love watching my lesser kids achieve what they may have never believed to be possible. I feel like success and failure go hand in hand- you're not going to be perfect everyday and you're not going to suck everyday.

While I understand that tutoring and teaching are not the same thing, I can't help but think I could be a fit for MTC.  I think it would present a good kind of challenge, the kind that I look forward to taking on despite the difficulty. I love the people- both the first years and the second years. They're all doing amazing work, and I look forward to hearing how the first year for the new teachers goes. MTC is a community, a weird kind of family full of people who are making some sort of a difference whether they will ever reap the fruits of their labor not. The summer isn't even halfway over, but honestly, I can't imagine not being here next summer as a first year. Ben just emailed me and said that the application for 2009 goes up September 1, and if I can help it, I will be the first one to apply.

To teach or not to teach... that is the question. And for the first time ever, I think the answer is yes. I talked to my daddy yesterday, and I have his approval. He thinks it's a great idea.

Ben posed a hypothetical to us, the interns, the other afternoon. Suppose we were teaching 11th grade English, and in our class, we had eight who read above grade level, fifteen who read on a 9th/10th grade level, and seven who were well below that mark. How would we prepare a lesson this class in which the gap between highest and lowest performing students appears to be measurable in light years?
My first initial reaction is to examine how I address the situation in my tutoring sessions. I generally don't pay much attention to the highest performing athletes as they tend to understand the material regardless of what I do. The middle ground guys are the easiest to address because generally they represent the masses. The lowest performing guys are the hardest to reach because complacency and poor academic performance tend to go hand in hand. Fortunately, the Office of Academic Support at Ole Miss employs some of the most competent people I know, and if I feel like an athlete needs extra help, they arrange it. And that's where tutoring is different than teaching, my guys have already sat through class before they meet with me (or else they run stadiums at the crack of dawn). It's up to them to pay attention. In theory (way different than practicality), I am not having to teach anything. And while I may want to take some of them out during our sessions, ultimately it doesn't affect me whether or not they pass. Passing keeps them eligible to play, so even for my lowest performing guys, the reward is huge. Game day keeps them motivated... most of the time anyway.
But the classroom isn't like that- teachers can't ignore assume that their highest performing students will continue to perform at high levels without being challenged and they don't have the time to meet with every low performing student on a one-on-one basis for several hours a week. They have to reach everybody at once. After having thought about it yesterday, I posed the question to Jen this morning while we were eating breakfast. She brought up an interesting solution: create an assignment that allows the students to chose their own books. The poor performing students aren't singled out and the high performing students aren't bored by the seemingly "dumbed down" material. In theory the idea challenges every student where they are. Can a teacher do this free for all assignment all the time? In my opinion, no. So that still leaves the question unanswered: how do you reach them all? Part of me wants to say- focus on the kids who can't read just because the ability to read is the key to success in our society. If a person can't read, they're more likely to end up in jail, unemployed, on the streets, in poverty, pregnant as a teen, etc. But at the same time, boredom tends to foster destruction and disruption (at least it does in my tutoring sessions). I don't know what the answer is. I do believe that students (my athletes) will perform at a high level if those are the set expectations. There are some classes that I tutor that I expect everyone, and I mean everyone- even my lowest performing guys, to make an 'A' in. Realizing that this has the potential to sound incredibly naive, I can't help but believe that one can challenge students individually through grading. If a student is clearly capable of more than his work displays, I think their are ways of challenging him to rise up. I can't help but be just a little bit sad that it would be close to impossible to teach the lowest performing students how to read. But without having experienced the situation or ever having taught, I feel like my answer is filled with fluff and naivety- ultimately, pretty worthless. I'll be interested to learn how teachers have handled that situation in the past.

I'm reading Dixieland Delight by Clay Travis, and it's incredible. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about Southern culture. The book chronicles Travis' adventure to every Southeastern Conference football stadium during the 2005 season. From Neyland Stadium in Knoxville to the Vaught here in Oxford, Travis experiences it all: the Vol Walk at UT, rolling Toomer's Corner at Auburn, tailgating in the Grove at Ole Miss. He details the other "religion" in the South, football. I went to Kroger this evening with Philip, and I ran into two of my football players. After this past spring with 15 hours of tutoring and well over 15 athletes (most in a class that I knew nothing about), I'd forgotten just how much I love that job. While Philip finished up his grocery shopping, I had the opportunity to catch up with some of the university's "Saturday Saints". It was great... seeing those guys made me remember why I love football, the SEC, and the South. I'm convinced that the SEC is the greatest football conference in the country but not necessarily for statistical reasons. In the South, football is much more than a game: it's community, uniting people of different backgrounds to support a common cause, it's believing that with hard work and dedication anyone can be a winner (Bear Bryant!), it's the desire to be the best year after year after year, it's the hope of tomorrow to "fix" the mistakes of today. I love football. I can't help it. I just do. Being an Ole Miss fan can be hard at times, but regardless of our record, I can't help but believe that each Saturday brings a new chance, a chance to beat the odds and win. I'm sure that sounds jaded all things considered, but honestly, invest some time in athletes and see how it feels to watch them on game day. The feeling is almost exhilarating, a vast array of emotions varying from excitement to pure nervousness. While most SEC fans are not athletic tutors, many are lifelong fans, and they too experience the ups and downs of the season. It sounds crazy, and honestly, some fans probably could be classified as clinically insane. But I can't help but love that- the old men who believe that this year is our year every year, the little boys who sport replica jerseys of their heroes (my brother wore an Alabama jersey with Shaun Alexander's number on the back), the little girls who don't even understand what football actually is but still wear their team's cheer leading outfit anyway (I supported the Crimson Tide), the college kids, like myself, who can't help but cheer for their team regardless of their record, and the players themselves, the guys who give us a cause to believe in for four months of the year. I can't wait for August. Ole Miss kicks off against the University of Memphis in Oxford on August 30 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. I will be there, enjoying the Grove and cheering on my guys. So for anyone who desires to learn more about the Southern way of life, visit Oxford on a game day. Whether we win or lose, I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed.