Christina Jordan’s Neighborhood

Tammy Pelli. Christian Wilkins. Former MTC teachers. Susan Sheridan. Nancy Kent. Mr. Teague. Life-long Mississippi Educators. These are the teachers who have had the greatest impact on my life as educators. I attended Greenwood High School in Greenwood, MS. I loved school and really did not need anyone to push me to succeed; however, the aforementioned teachers made me want more out of life, far more than Greenwood could ever offer.  My eyes were open to experience new things including attending school in a different environment.  For these teachers and others who have devoted their lives to enriching the lives of our youth, this is for you.

My acceptance into Mississippi Teacher Corps (MTC) has greatly altered my perception of the educational system.  Pre-MTC, my patience would not have allowed me to sit in a room with three students, let alone thirty.  Like most of the MTC participants, I applied for the program to make certain that I would be employed for the next two years.  In addition, I saw the program as an opportunity to give back to my people, my community, and my state.  I remember walking into the Guyton Hall on the first day of the program.  If my memory serves me correctly, that day was my birthday.  Walking into the room, I noticed no familiar faces.  I had only been to Guyton a few times, and was not familiar with anything or anyone in the building.  There was some goofy looking man standing in front of the room re-assuring us that we still had time to change our minds if we felt that we were making the wrong decision.  Luckily, I was already confident in my decision. 

    During the first summer session, I had a hard time learning how to write a lesson plan.  First, I did not understand how a person could be graded on teaching with no preconceived notion of how to teach.  In June, I was placed in a room with three male teachers who had nothing in common with myself.  However, two of these teachers were in charge of teaching me how to teach.  Unsurprisingly, I hated their teaching style.  I found myself rubbing my eyes, trying to stay awake.  We really had nothing in common.  What were the powers at be thinking.  I really did not learn how to write a lesson plan until I had the pleasure of being under the direction of Jake Roth.

    Jake is the best teacher I know hands down.  His ability to connect with the students is awe-inspiring.  Jake does not make the students feel like he is a dictator.  He gets them involved, and he makes learning fun.  Jake also inspired me to be creative in my lesson plans.  I credit Jake for teaching me how to be fun and creative with my lessons.  Whatever you do readers, do not teach like James Benjamin Guest.  He is the most boring teacher I know.  He claims that the kids are learning if the lesson is boring….Um…yea…sure! I really have not seen too many other people teach, so sorry if you think you deserve a shot out!

    If there is one regret, it is that I really did not connect with any of the other participants.  Oddly enough, the one person who I have gelled well with is Ben. Go figure.  I was in the process of connecting with one participant, and she dropped out of the program before the summer was over.  My lack of connection with the other participants has nothing to do with race, age, gender, etc.  However, I see no point in getting together with a group of people to grip about the same thing over and over.  I definitely do not see any point in getting together to grip about my students.  There are many times where I had to grit my teeth to keep from getting angry at some of the things said in the various discussions about Mississippi and its inhabitants.  What people fail to realize is that I identify more with the South than I do with MTC.  My views may equate to everything the South represents; however, I was born in Texas and raised in Mississippi, so all I know is the South.  Fortunately, I have enough of my mother’s genes to know how to ease my nerves.  Unfortunately for the MTC class of 2008, my twin sister does not.  I can’t wait to hear that Stina went off on someone in class because some people talk about the South and Southern issues and really sound ignorant.  I am thankful for the class that Dr. Mullins teaches about Mississippi because he provides a non-biased viewpoint of Mississippi and the rest of the South.

    One thing that I do not regret is informing my sister about Teacher Corps.  At first I was a little worried that Stina would not do well in Teacher Corps because she is a newly wed.  Also, her patience was much like mine: non-existence.  It has been interesting over this past year watching my sister grow in her marriage and in her career.  I am certain that she has established a passion for teaching. None of us every expected to be educators. I know I didn’t!! My lifelong dream was to become a psychologist.  I feel like my school is using my psychological services for free!! Now that I have been a teacher for almost two years, I realize that the education system needs people like me who are going to lead the struggle for answers in finding solutions to the plague that overbears our schools.  My motivation now is geared towards being an administrator.

    I have been teaching at the same school for two years (one month to go!!).  Over these two years, I have experienced how effective an administrator can be to a school’s environment.  Last year, our administration on the scale of 1-10 was a -10.  I guess that’s not no the scale.  Our principal seemed to be too afraid to lay down the law. Seriously I felt like I had more ba(($ than him (that was on purpose!).  The students ran the school.  Our superintendent finally brought in a principal who immediately, I mean first day, demanded that both faculty and students were on board.  And if they weren’t, they could go home! Mr. Richardson has given me the opportunity to enjoy coming to work, something that I think all should people should experience.  Now to the good stuff.

    I don’t know why in the world we had to do all of this blogging and stuff. I bet no one reads it but Ben!! And that’s only because he has nothing to do! I feel sorry for the classes behind us because he already just made up stuff for us to do.  I think he sat down and was just like, “I’m going to give them something to do, today!!” in his hyperactive voice.  I actually didn’t mind doing this assignment because it allowed me to think back to last year when I first started this journey. (Check out my portfolio!)  I really cannot believe that Teacher Corps is already over! This summer, I start a new journey! I will be enrolled in the Ed. Leadership Specialist program.  I truly think that I have a lot to offer school systems.  It is my goal to prove just that.

Dear First Years,

Look around the room. Some of you will quit within the first few days.  Some of you will quit during the first year, while others will at least make it until the end of the first year. Your life is about to change, and if you do what is asked of you, it will only change for the better.  As a Mississippian, I thank you for your interest in wanting to help our children achieve academic success.  Not only do you have the opportunity to teach, but you also have the opportunity to learn about a region that seems to have been misrepresented on a national spectrum.  Yes, the Delta is full of students who live in poverty; however, do not treat these students as such. Enrich their lives with the wealth of knowledge needed to succeed in life.  Be open to new ideas because what you are about to experience is something even Disney World doesn’t hold a fork to! You own the key to alter someone’s life.

Ms. Stewart

P.S. Read my MTC experience blog if you want to know more about MTC.

The data provided in the analysis of Mississippi provided results that are already common knowledge. African Americans in Mississippi are disadvantaged.  The average African American today has the opportunities of African Americans thirty years ago. It seems that the times have brought about social changes, however, the economic opportunities have not increased.  There is a twenty three year gap between the human development of an African American and that of a white American.

The analysis also shows that women lead men in almost every category except income.  We are more educated and more healthy.  We even have a higher overall grasp on human development.  Yet, at the end of the day, men are given higher paying jobs. That's two strikes for me!!

When the two factors are combined, race and gender, the following results are rendered.  White American men earn more money than White American women. African American men earn more than African American women. Of course both white groups earn more than both black groups. The snail will never meet the hare if the hare continues to dictate the life of the snail.

Map

One map that I found interesting depicts the teen pregnancy rate in 2007. The results were not surprising. The counties in the Delta have higher teen pregnancy rates than other counties in the state.  It is almost conclusive that for this reason the income for food stamps is also higher in the Delta counties.

Map(2)

I was brought to tears yesterday when one of my track athletes confessed to me that her mother did not have enough money to buy her track shoes. That was not the worse of it. Tragedy has fallen on her doorstep. In addition, her mother is  unemployed and she continues to miss the absence of her father due to his untimely death many years ago. The world in which she lives is crumbling fast. She told me yesterday that I did not understand her and that I did not understand what she was going through. I had to explain to her that honey the person that you see today is not what I have always been. She explained that I seemed to have had everything handed to me growing up. Yet, there were times that we went without heat. There were times that my mother had to go to the food pantry to get food. We were on food stamps at least once in my life, yet that did not determine my life's path. I had a mother who was more than determined to show us that life was what we made it and that we could have an impact on the world if that is what we sought out to do.

My girl D and other girls like her need women in their lives to nurture them and show them that life is what you make it. I love my girls, especially my track girls. Most of my girls have never had the opportunity to participate in sports and organizations.  I looked at them, though, and something, something that they probably did not see. I am more than grateful to have the opportunity to coach these young ladies and I hope that I can be the change in their lives.  They are MY GIRLS!!

I must admit...I am a little slow.  [inside joke to be exposed!] After finally realizing that my school blocks articles from The New Yorker, I was able to read the article. So much for not buying internet at home. The article was very interesting because I love football; I never really made the connection between the drafting of quarterbacks and teachers. I think that the author kind of downplayed the teacher problem, though.  Guess what Mr. Gladwell!! The world can live without football and quarterbacks!! People watch football for entertainment.  I would hope that the education of a child would supercede football.  At any rate, I was disappointed that Shunka ended without resolution because guess what folks, the correlation was clear!! There is no resolution for what to do about drafting quarterbacks for the NFL, and there sure in the hell isn't one for what to do about the teacher crisis.  What do we do? What do we do as educators? What do we do as future parents? The answer to everything is money, and we just do not have it!! So what do we do??? Wish I could answer that question, but until someone develops an answer I guess we will just keep throwing passes.

I must admit...I am a little slow.  [inside joke to be exposed!] After finally realizing that my school blocks articles from The New Yorker, I was able to read the article. So much for not buying internet at home. The article was very interesting because I love football; I never really made the connection between the drafting of quarterbacks and teachers. I think that the author kind of downplayed the teacher problem, though.  Guess what Mr. Gladwell!! The world can live without football and quarterbacks!! People watch football for entertainment.  I would hope that the education of a child would supercede football.  At any rate, I was disappointed that Shunka ended without resolution because guess what folks, the correlation was clear!! There is no resolution for what to do about drafting quarterbacks for the NFL, and there sure in the hell isn't one for what to do about the teacher crisis.  What do we do? What do we do as educators? What do we do as future parents? The answer to everything is money, and we just do not have it!! So what do we do??? Wish I could answer that question, but until someone develops an answer I guess we will just keep throwing passes.

I think that this is the time of year when most teachers, new teachers especially, are frustrated with a number of things that are going on in their school district or at least in their school building.  This school term has shown me that there are some strong leaders in education; however, there still seems to be some disconnect between strong leadership and student achievement.  We finally have a strong administration; however, we have a long way to go before we can attain the level that we need to be a Level 3 school.  We have high hopes for our students, and many of them are failing because they are unaccustomed to the rigor of our lessons and test.  But these days, hope is not enough,

Another thing that frustrates me is the lack of importance placed on early childhood development.  Ben, Tish, and I had a conversation this past Saturday about the current state of education in Mississippi.  The truth of the matter is Mississippi is a poor state; we have no other option but to work with the resources that we have especially since the funds for education are continuing to be cut.  The economy is so bad that the thought of raising taxes is out of the question; and let's be honest here, I don't think many people can stand to miss even a few dollars from their income.  What are we going to do Mississippi?; what are we going to do?