3 posts tagged “mtc”

As I sit here attempting to write my last 2 required blogs of the summer, I'm finding it difficult to articulate my experience this summer. So here goes the best I've got for now... and both blogs are now contained in this one.

This summer was incredible. I'm not sure I've ever worked this hard at a "real" job in my life (being a camp counselor does not count as a "real" job). I definitely didn't come into this experience expecting it to be as intense as it was. I had no idea what I was getting into even though I'd read parts of both Molly's and Lauryn's blogs. All I knew was that I was going to be myself, do what I do, and hope that that was good enough.

The first few days were pretty tedious, and honestly, I found myself missing Sky Ranch like crazy. But the first weekend rolled around, and AM and I hit up HS to bake cookies at MG's apartment. MG introduced us to more second years, and I finally felt like summer had started. Then the First Years arrived, and life as a MTC intern really started to get fun.

I spent the first month at HSHS, and really, every day brought some sort of new challenge or problem to solve. I'm not sure I ever stopped moving while I was at the school. The first week was definitely the most challenging as PM, ET, MH, and I worked with Joe to create a system for everything from attendance to telling the middle school teachers when lunch was in the least disruptive manner. By the end of June, summer school was more or less a well oiled machine, although most days felt a little rusty. Working up at HSHS gave me the opportunity to see just what it's like running a school and how much work actually goes into (and how much is actually beyond your control). The administrative side is tough, especially when working with the level of competency displayed by those working at the HS and Marshall County Central Offices. I enjoyed sitting in on what few classes I actually got to watch- it was nice to see the lesson plans that I checked every morning in action during the day. Joe was "afraid" of the lunch ladies which meant that I got to tell them when the middle schoolers were coming everyday, and honestly, that became one of the highlights of my day. Copy machine maintenance and repair also fell into the list of things that I learned how to do over the summer as I had the opportunity to learn from Joe- the principal and resident copy machine surgeon. Overall, HSHS was my favorite part of the internship- I loved getting started that early everyday, and I loved the challenges that each day presented.
 
July was a little tedious at WWI and SOE. WWI was the toughest part of the internship for me, but overall, I'm glad that I at least attempted the project (although by any measurable standard, I didn't do much). PM was a trooper during my time at WWI (and SOE) as he watched me hit mental walls on an almost daily basis (that's what happens when I'm not constantly stimulated). He also let me throw sticks at him (sounds harsh but it wasn't- I found some sticks opn the way back from the Union and like any five year old boy I picked them up and then tossed them- in his direction). My time spent at the School of Ed was used to finish my project and make lots of binder and finish stuff up for Ann. Unlike the rest of the interns, I wasn't assigned a daily project at SOE which meant that I ended up doing more random stuff for the First Years and Ann. Looking back I'm glad that I didn't have a set project as I really enjoyed the work I did for Ann and the First Years. The hardest part of my work at SOE was the total lack of stimulation... I really don't do well without a lot to do and often had to get creative to keep myself busy (and prevent myself from hitting walls).

Overall, it was an excellent summer. I loved MVC every afternoon in the hot sun and the evening down time. The weekends were fun- especially the trip to Jackson. And I had the opportunity to see Oxford in a totally different light. Ole Miss is my dream school, and Oxford is, in my opinion, the perfect college town. Being here with people who didn't necessarily go to undergrad at Ole Miss has been a nice change of pace from the regular school year and helped truly separate school from summer (which I was concerned about initially). I'm not gonna lie though- now that summer is done, I'm ready to be back here but as a student and with the people that I began my college journey with. I definitely learned a lot, and hopefully, I'll be back next summer but as a First Year.

- the speakers
    - I would recommend spreading the speakers out over the summer- we heard a bunch at the beginning and then          very few at the end. However, it has been nice to have more free afternoons in July.
    - vary the topics: a little less race/CRM/ desegregation- there are plenty of other issues in the South that deserve         to be heard every now and then besides race.
    - listening to a 4pm speaker for 80 minutes after being up since 5am is a beat down- maybe schedule the speakers        for earlier times.
- the internet
    - vox is fine
    - twitter is not
    - delicious is good if you have a real purpose- being an intern was not a strong enough purpose for my use of this to       be worthwhile
 - project
    - I found the project meetings to be pretty worthless, a weekly email with our progress would accomplished the           same things in a more efficient, less time consuming manner.
    - I enjoyed doing it, but I also really enjoyed my topic
    - presentation info to come later...
- random
    - I vote Joe Sweeney for principal of summer school every year
    - cut down on the number of interns- 8 aren't needed
        - have a permanent intern at HSHS so projects don't switch hands as much (= more efficiency, < chaos)
    - housing should be the same for both June and July
    - switching from HSHS to WWI/Guyton was not that much fun, not sure how to solve this problem
  
- you'll only be as busy as you want to be- if you assert yourself early on, you will never be without things to do (Ann will almost always have some sort of project that needs to be done)
- with the previous note, if you're ever bored, someone (teachers, Ben, Joe, etc.) will have something for you to do
- take notes during the speakers- it'll be easier to write the required blogs later
- if you don't agree with some part of the internship/ something you've been asked to do, talk to Ben about it- solutions can be found to just about any problem
- be flexible- crap happens a lot, especially at HSHS
- no special skills are needed for fixing the copier or the printers- the things are pieces of junk anyway, and you probably can't make things much worse with your attempts to fix them
- get to know the Second Years- after a year of teaching, they definitely have knowledge to impart upon you- soak it up
- get to know the First Years- they're working hard and will be around a month longer than the Second Years- also, if you're interested in the program, the First Years are your potential mentors and Second Years
- play volleyball (assuming Sealand doesn't quit/ slack on his job next summer)- vball is a great way to get to know people and get some fresh air after a long day of work
- explore Oxford- it's a wonderful town and has a lot to offer culturally and historically
- budget for some meals out- Oxford has a plethora of excellent local eateries
- sit in on a first year lesson or two at HSHS- it's a good way to see what's actually going down day in and day out
- if you're interested in teaching/ MTC, peruse a couple of lesson plans too
- visit the Delta (something I wish I had done)

I've had a blast. Thanks for working hard. Thanks for getting your lesson plans in on time... well, most of the time anyway. I enjoyed getting them and looked forward to the humor that many of you included in them. Thanks keeping me busy... I might have lost my mind otherwise. I enjoyed all of it- from finding scissors and staplers at HSHS to copying binders at Guyton. Thanks for keeping me entertained.  I wish everyone of you the best this fall. All of you are ready to take on your new schools. You've been trained: you've learned how to write lesson plans and tests, you've learned how to manage classrooms of unruly students, you've learned how to create something out of nothing. I'm pulling for y'all. I'm excited to hear what the year has in store for each of you on your (semi) weekly trips to Oxford. I can't wait for y'all to experience the "real" Ole Miss, the one that I know and love. I expect each of you to be back here next summer doing what the MTC c/o 2007 did this summer, imparting wisdom upon us all and causing trouble and encouraging fun. Assuming MTC will have me, I'll be back next summer too, only this time as a First Year.

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.  

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.