Ezina, Ekinez Egina

The Final Post

According to my stats on Typepad, this will be my 170th blog post. Most of the previous 169 are MTC related, save a few from my senior year of college. Most aren’t worth reading, and in all honesty, I can’t believe I had enough words in me to write 169 posts. This last post is certainly proving to be the most difficult to write, because all of my words are gone. What do I say? How do I sum up this experience? My Mississippi Teacher Corps experience has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows, and as I try to flesh it out into one last post, I can’t seem to come up with sentences, only words.

Hard. Challenging. Incompetent. Poor. Low-performing. Hope. Despair. Stupid. High-performing. QDI. Conservatorship. Depressing. Painful. Unending. Redundant. Exhausting. Torturous. Inept. Useless. Underprivileged. Racism. Unfair. Division. Successful. Miserable. Poverty. Harsh. Unprofessional. Long. Amusing. Tedious. Mind-numbing. Bleak. Shocking. Overwhelming. Sacrifice. Broken. Grace. These words describe my feelings towards my administrations, my students, the communities in which I served, and myself.

My Mississippi Teacher Corps was hard, and much harder than I ever imagined it would or could be. You see, I came into my first year summer full of confidence that I could handle whatever came my way, only to be browbeaten by the end of the first week. My first summer was hard. My first semester was hard. My first year was hard. My first semester of my second year was better yet still hard, and my second semester of my second year has been the best one yet but still hard. The problems within these school districts don’t go away with time; however, we do become immune to them until reality wakes us up.

I’m not sure I ever understood how much MTC asked of its participants before becoming a first year. MTC asks for your time and your effort at a level few of us have ever known before. The class work is easy, but the task at hand, teaching dozens of low-performing students in districts that are barely considered functional, is much, much harder. MTC participants make great sacrifices, most of which are not mentioned on the website or the Wiki. We move to unfamiliar places with strangers to communities that more than likely do not value education in order to teach students whose attitudes range from indifferent to dreadful while working in conditions that hardly resemble those of a school. Who would ever sign up for this? This doesn’t sound like fun, and to be honest, most days weren’t fun. I guess the kicker to MTC, what makes it all worth it, is the lessons we learn, the difference we make to a kid or two, and the people we meet along the way, so now onward to the good stuff- the lessons, the students, and the friends I’ve made.

My experience with the Mississippi Teacher Corps taught me how to do a myriad of things that I never realized I needed (or wanted) to learn. During my MTC experience, I learned how to…

• Cook and bake- it turns out following recipes really isn’t that difficult
• Safely navigate roadblocks on two lane roads in the Delta- have your drivers license ready!
• Kill a possum stuck in a bathtub (grab a bucket and turn on the water!)
• Drive a moving truck- this sounds simple, but it proved to be a greater challenge for me 
• Get my landlord to fix any problem immediately- just claim that the current problem is going to cause greater issues… when a broken refrigerator begins defrosting and leaking on floors, mold and other things become inevitable.
• Teach history without textbooks or technology
• Get rid of a ladybug infestation
• Get out of a ticket in rural areas- most cops have a soft spot for teachers, especially if you tell them where you teach 
• Get barbeque sauce out of a dress- club soda, dish soap, and a toothbrush with do the trick!
• Write on a whiteboard without turning my back 
• Give clear and explicit directions 
• Find useable resources quickly
• Think on my feet- dictionary hangman might be one of my favorite spur of the moment games ever
• Drive in the Delta- yes, the person will pull out mere milliseconds before you reach them… always be prepared to slow down, never tail someone as they may stop any second, don’t pass when it’s foggy or raining as some drivers will surely fail to put on their lights and crush you in an instant 
• Understand a dialect that I pray is unique to the Mississippi Delta
• Find a community in a place where it appears that one may not exist
• Make something out of nothing
• Manage my time as if it were gold
• Plan efficiently and effectively
• Get back up after falling off the proverbial horse day after day
• Fail and move forward in the professional arena

These students, my favorite students, assured me that my time with MTC was not in vain nor was it wasted. These students, SH at Forest Hill and EG and BC at Ruleville, pushed me to be a better teacher and coerced me into coming back day after horrible day after horrible day.

SH was my only true success during my first year, and when looking back on that horrid year, I can’t imagine what my time at FHHS would have been like had he not been in my class. SH is a little bit of a clown, in the best way possible, and an excellent athlete. He goes by a rather silly nickname and is rarely seen without a smile. He is not considered a scholar; however, his academic record is commendable. His work ethic is what sets him apart; his work ethic propels him above stronger and faster athletes on the field; his work ethic pushes him from proficient to advanced ahead of students with higher IQs. SH worked harder than any other student in my Compensatory Writing class. Because he wanted to learn, I wanted to teach. His demeanor and attitude brightened my days, and I knew I could count on him to answer questions, even if he wasn’t confident in their correctness. SH motivated me to be a better teacher, if not for everyone else that I taught, but for him.

BC and EG are the stereotypical good students. They are best friends and at the top of their class. They thrive on academic competition and are disappointed with the slightest imperfection in their numerical averages. These kinds of students can either kill a class or motivate a class. Fortunately, these two motivated their respective classes, pushing other kids to try just as hard as they did. They encouraged fellow students and often studied with my lower level kids before tests, if only to assure themselves that they already knew the material. BC and EG also had a wonderful habit of stopping by my classroom just to talk- about historical events, current events, or their lives in general. They reminded me that there was good in every day; I just had to look for it.

My favorite students worked harder than many of the rest of my students. They were driven and determined to succeed. They made my job easy and fun. They encouraged other students to participate and did their work to the best of their abilities (almost) every single day. Their work ethics drove me to plan greater enrichment activities, and I loved seeing my passion for topics get passed along to them. These students ensured that my heart didn’t turn to stone. They gave me a reason to keep coming back to school, and if I could have a classroom full of students like the three mentioned above, I would most certainly have stuck around for a third year. The relationships with the students far outweighed the troubles I faced with administrations, parents, and coworkers. These students reminded me that I accomplished what I set out to do: make a difference.

The friendships, well, those have their own place that isn’t on my professional blog; however, I must say that these people, my new (and old) friends, have extended to me a grace that I never knew before beginning MTC. Teaching didn’t always bring out the best in me and many times it brought out the worst, but my friends and my family loved me anyway. They ensured that I knew that I was loved always, even in my darkest days. While I cannot say that I would do this experience again, I am grateful for it, if only because God proved to me that His grace abounds always, even to the least of these.

what a year

The 2009-2010 school year was tough and definitely much harder than I ever imagined it to be. It was a year of ups and downs and all-over-the-places. I never felt confident in what I was doing in the classroom, and I allowed the extra stuff (an incompetent principal, crazed co-workers, the fear of teaching English) to get me down. All of that is certainly evident in my posts from last year.

When I look back on my goals for the 2009-2010 school year and compare them to my non-blogged about goals for this year, I see a world of difference, particularly in my views of myself and my abilities in the classroom.  

My goals for last year were as follows: #1- survive (did it!), #2- get comfortable teaching English     (never really happened), #3- avoid office politics (nope), #4- master classroom management (eh, not so much). By looking at this list, last year can be chalked up as a failure, a complete a utter failure. Good thing my main goal was survival! Ha.

As I read through my posts, I noticed a common theme, that I expected too little of my students. I believed that by expecting little of them, I wouldn't be disappointed. What I failed to realize is how much more they could have learned, if I'd just asked more of them. Higher expectations have worked wonders for me and my students as a second year teacher.

My focus last year was also very "me" centered. My #1 goal was my own personal survival; I never seemed to make my students an actual priority in my life. Now, I never wanted to make them THE priority in my life, but looking back, I probably should've let them become A priority. Because my focus was "me" centered, my lessons required as little of me as possible, a recipe for disaster as a first year teacher. I needed to be more involved with my planning, so my students could handle more student centered, individual discovery lessons. Fortunately, I have changed this aspect during my second year, and my students are my top priority when planning lessons and in lesson planning only.

I also dealt with a lot of office politics last year, and this year, I've learned to lay low and which teachers really do know what's going on. I have people to ask when I need help figuring out some sort of obscure school policy or understanding some indecipherable memo. As a result, my school life has been much happier, and I realize that much of my heartache from last year could have been avoided. Live and learn, I guess.

letter to the first years

Dear MTC class of 2011,

    Congratulations on getting accepted to MTC! As I'm sure many of you have heard, the hard part isn't over yet; in fact, it has yet to begin, but don't worry about that now. To quote Jim Elliot, "wherever you are, be all there". Wherever you are right now, whatever you are doing right now, be all there. Don't rush to get to this experience. Yes, parts of the summer will be really fun, but a lot of the summer will be really hard. The school year will be even harder, so enjoy where you are right now. You will miss where you are now in the days ahead. Enjoy your time with MTC; the experience is one of the toughest I've ever faced yet also one of the most worthwhile. Until you're finished with MTC, I wish you enough...

- enough idealism to keep you going, yet enough realism to keep you grounded

- enough strength to wake up in the morning, yet enough peace of mind to sleep at night

- enough pride to make you want to be the best you can be, yet enough humility to listen to the criticisms from those around you

- enough courage to expect much of your students, yet enough wisdom to expect less of yourself

- enough determination to come back day after day, yet enough knowledge of yourself to know when to take a day off

- enough discipline to work hard and diligentl,y yet enough self-indulgence to relax and have a little fun every now and then

- enough willpower to keep your mouth shu,t yet enough ingenuity to find the answers to your questions without drawing attention to yourself

- enough foresight to see past today’s failures, yet enough hindsight to see what you could have done differently

- enough successes to keep you joyful, yet enough failures to keep you striving for improvement

- enough love to give to your students, yet enough grace to extend to yourself.

Love your students, but most importantly love yourself, especially when you fail. Teaching is not a profession that will ever give you pat on the back or a high five when you've succeeded. Remember to show some of the same grace you'll show to your students to yourself. Just by showing up day after day, you are doing something. And when you get to the point that you no longer believe any of that, remember this quote:  “I always start these events with very lofty goals, like I am going to do something special. And after a point of body deterioration, the goals get evaluated down to basically where I am now –where the best I can hope for is to avoid throwing up on my shoes”. –Nuclear engineer and ultrarunner Ephriam Romesberg, sixty-five miles into the Badwater Ultramarathon   

free write- a hodgpodge of things

    I’ve been thinking a lot recently about teachers and the roles each of us plays as professional educators. Within the last few weeks, teachers have made national news. In Wisconsin, a controversial bill concerning union rights prompted teachers to head out of their classrooms and onto the steps of the state capitol building in protest. In Pennsylvania, a teacher sits at home, suspended for publishing negative remarks about her students, her school, and her district on her personal blog.  The role of the professional educator is changing and adapting to the digital media age. Anything posted on the Internet can be cause for suspension or dismissal from one’s duties.  As I digest these stories, I can’t help but reflect on a pretty horrific event currently occurring at my school involving the health and safety of a fellow teacher. Although I am hesitant to elaborate further for fear of reprimand from my principal and/or district, one question still lingers, when did becoming a teacher require one to sacrifice one’s rights, and I use that term loosely, for the sake of educating today’s students?

            In today’s digital age, I certainly recommend using discretion when posting anything on the Internet. Organizations and companies, from collegiate sororities and fraternities to Fortune 500 companies, search the names of job candidates and potential new members on the Internet and understandably so, as each wants to be represented by those of strong character. Limited freedom of speech is something that I understand, as slander and libel laws have been on the books for quite some time now, but I wonder about other things like the union issues in Wisconsin and the safety of the teacher at my school.

    I wonder about the overcrowding of districts, the ones in which classrooms have upwards of sixty students per class like Detroit (at least that’s the current prediction of what class sizes will be like when half of the district’s schools are closed). I wonder about teachers who are the victims of theft by their students and left to fend for themselves, as administrators ignore pleas for punishment. I wonder about teachers who are cursed out and threatened by students, only to have administrators turn a blind eye. I wonder about teachers who are harassed by colleagues, only to find that reporting such incidents result in increased bullying from the original offender. I wonder about the teachers who are assaulted by students, only to have administrators ignore their pleas for justice. I wonder about the teachers who died at the hands of students, only to have the violence continue elsewhere. I wonder about the teachers who are wrongfully accused of whatever offense by students, only to lose their jobs and find that no one else is willing to hire them. I wonder about the teachers who spend hours preparing lessons for their often low performing students, only to lose their jobs because test scores didn’t rise enough. Honestly, with all of these potential issues, it’s understandable why the bottom quarter of the nation’s college graduates become teachers rather than the reverse, and it’s amazing that anyone becomes a teacher at all.

    Being a teacher is hard, and I believe that it’s only getting harder. From my own personal experience and from what I have seen and heard in various educational circles, school districts are expecting more of teachers and less of students than ever before. Teachers are expected to perform yet students are not punished for choosing not to perform. Teachers are encouraged to make lessons engaging and entertaining, as students cannot be expected to learn unless they are having fun. Students may call a teacher what ever name he or she desires without fear of major punishment, because they have a right to an education; yet, a teacher who expects all students to complete assignments and in a certain format are expected to be lenient and understanding when students choose not to follow directions. President Obama wants to pay teachers according to performance (test scores); however, I’d like to offer a counter to that: pay administrators based on performance.

    While teachers are ultimately the ones educating the students, administrators are the ones who establish the school’s atmosphere and tone. Poor administrators typically attract teachers of lesser quality. Good principals typically attract good teachers, and great principals typically attract great teachers, or at least people who will become great teachers with the proper guidance. Poor administrators usually cultivate an atmosphere that more often resembles a circus rather than a school. So my question is, who is holding administrators accountable? From what I understand, the state is certainly not doing so, nor is the federal government. Who is monitoring principals to ensure that handbook policies are implemented and followed consistently? I wish I had an answer, but I don’t. Until administrators are also observed with the same critical eye that watches our nation’s educators, our schools will most certainly continue to fail.

    I’m left to wonder why teachers across the country are sacrificing basic rights, including health and safety at some institutions, yet continuing to teach. The only answer that I can come up with is that teachers are willing to do whatever is expected of them for the greater good, their students, no matter how hard that sacrifice might be.  Administrators may fail, yet teachers, the good ones, continue to prevail, regardless of the situation. A chaotic hallway, ignored handbook policies, and a lack of discipline are often a recipe for disaster; yet, as I look at my colleagues across the state, I see pockets of improved test scores and student learning happening in the worst of schools and districts. In places that lack the most basic of technologies and textbooks, teachers are succeeding where their districts are falling short. So maybe teachers aren’t required to sacrifice their rights for student learning, maybe teachers are willingly giving up their rights, because student success means more than being able to write and speak freely about their jobs. Student success means more than union rights or higher pay or better benefits or anything else that those in other professions typically value. I guess this is also why MTC and TFA often make lifelong educators out of their participants, because the end result far outweighs the means in which it takes to get there.

to join or not to join

    Honestly, I don’t believe I have a real answer to this question anymore. On the surface, this program certainly looks appealing: go make a difference in Mississippi by educating and molding young minds while receiving a free Masters. Below the surface, however, this program, this job, is anything but appealing: work harder than you’ve ever worked, fail more than you’ve ever failed, teach students who are well-below grade level in high stakes tested classes with little to no technology and textbooks, call parents who may or may not support you, and live in a likely rural setting with few ways of escaping your job, even for an hour or two a week.

            I am no one special, and my resume and GPA are no more impressive than my fellow corps members; yet, somehow I have managed to survive these two years. I have failed more than I ever imagined possible, and only now, after teaching a year and a half, do I truly believe that I have some grasp on what I doing. By no means did I ever imagine this job would be this hard, and by no means did I ever imagine actually quitting. The idea of quitting certainly passed through my mind a time or two during my first year; however, I never let my imagination turn that idea into a reality. Instead, I imagined May 2011, and let that be the fire that kept me going, the finish line, so I guess that gives me my answer: join MTC if you’re not a quitter.

            MTC is a worthless place for quitters. Quitters won’t make it in this program, at least not for long. MTC doesn’t feed you feel good Kool-Aid on the weekends in Oxford; MTC doesn’t coddle you or baby you. MTC prepares you for the battles that you’ll face in your schools, and come July of your first summer, MTC expects you to be the one fighting those battles. Winning and losing these battles is neither here nor there; however, the attempt is. Failing to get a class under control? Try calling all of the parents in that class. If that doesn’t work, try something different, and keep trying until you find a solution. Sure, take a day off to figure stuff out or just rest, but don’t quit. The students you will teach are used to people quitting on them; they don’t need another young or old teacher from some place faraway coming in, believing that one individual can change their lives, only to quit three months or a semester later because the stress was too great.

            Don’t join MTC if you’re a quitter. Look at your resume; reflect on your life. In recent years, have you ever quit something because it was too hard or too demanding? If the answer is yes, let someone else have your spot. You won’t make it. This program has very little room for quitters. My journey with MTC has been anything but a walk in the park. I’ve struggled as much as the next person and probably succeeded even less than the average corps member, but in less than 90 days, I can say that I survived, that I did it. I didn’t quit, even when that may have been all that I desired. I kept going; I kept looking for solutions, and I can confidently say that some of my students learned something about English, World History, and Spanish.

            Where you stand and what you believe is irrelevant to why you should join this program. Your views on education and life in general will most likely change after these two years anyway. Your experience with teenagers matters very little, as this setting is unlike any that most of us had ever encountered before joining the program. Join MTC if you’re not a quitter, and you know that when push comes to shove, you will do everything to find a solution and nothing to actualize quitting.

Past Portfolios

When looking at previous portfolios from the MTCers of years past, I noticed that most tended to be pretty representative of the teachers who created them, granted I really only looked at the porfolios of people I had at least met in passing. The portfolios that caught my attention were the ones that were neat and concise. In all honesty, I can imagine conciseness is probably pretty tough when it comes to explaining one's educational philosophy, the community, and the various other components of the project; however, each of the ones that I looked at and thoroughly enjoyed were short and sweet and to the point. I'm sure that some of that conciseness came from the juggling of the last MTC project with state testing and job searching for those not returning to their schools the following year.

I also noticed that while the project guidelines are the same for everyone, MTC gives enough freedom for participants to truly express themselves in the project. I personally preferred the simpler, less busy portfolios of participants like Angela Doyle, who was an obvious choice for the winner her year, and Hayley Hill's mimialist yet professional portfolio.

I know that many of us tend to joke about the difficulty level of MTC classes, as many do not compare to the classes many of us took in undergraduate (and Ben, we are really grateful for the easier work load so thanks!). I wasn't really sure that I would produce anything in MTC that I would be proud to show future employers, as we are free from writing a Masters thesis; however, after looking through the portfolios, most are incredibly professional and works that should make those who complete them very proud. Although I am dreading the process of making my portfolio, mainly due to my total ineptitude with computers, I am excited to know that if I follow the models of those set before me, I will create something that I can be proud of and potentially show future employers.

I also liked how many of the portfolios focused on the participants themselves. Despite sitting through presentations last year, I still thought that most of the portfolio would be focused on what we did for our schools, our communities, our administrations, etc. I was pleasantly surprised to find pictures of students and communities on the pages of the portfolios while not being overwhelmed by what so and so did for xyz district in two years. I really believe that the portfolios are a nice, professional way of presenting each participant's growth as an educator and as a human being during their time with MTC.

Quit Quitting

As Ben tells every incoming first year class, this job is the hardest job you will ever have. I didn't necessarily believe that my first summer; however, I do now and I will gladly tell anyone, potential applicant or not, that is the truth. The difficulty level of this job is something that has to be experienced though, and I am not convinced summer training will ever be able to replicate the absolute hardest moments of the school year. This being said, I do believe MTC has some incredibly powerful resources at hand that, if used effectively, might prevent a participant or two from quitting. All of those resources can be summed up in one word, investment.

During the summer, MTC creates an environment that encourages interaction and socialization and sometimes dependence among its members. Many participants learn quickly to go to TEAM teachers, second years, and other first years for most of their daily needs. In short, MTC participants begin investing in each other. Living in close confines certainly helps create that spirit of comradery; however, the impact creates an environment that usually makes participants feel wanted in the program. Free grad school? Constant feedback in the classroom? 24 hour lesson plan help? Afternoon volleyball? Is this investment? absolutely.

As most will admit, the school year hardly resembles the summer, and many of us find ourselves craving the days of summer school, the afternoons of volleyball, and the Thursday nights of karaoke. Realistically, most participants will not live as close together as they did during the summer; however, the investment need not to stop when July turns to August.  MTC has a plethora of alumi, some still in the area, some not; however, for those who are struggling or merely having a hard time adjusting, these alumni just might hold the key.

Moving to a new community is hard, especially to a rural area like the Delta; however, those in the future classes are not the first MTC participants to make these moves and to live in these communities. Why not create an alumni data base that not only lists what and where past participants have taught, but what they did while they lived in those communities? MTC participants spend two years in these places and often make quite the list of contacts. The need to find an outlet outside of school is critical to participant survival, and MTC alums would be a great resource for letting current participants know what (and who) is available to them in their respective communities. I certainly felt invested in last year when a Jackson family invited the current participants over for dinner. Small things like this make a huge difference in morale.

MTC could easily create a database or alumni network that would allow current participants to learn about their communities from the people who have already been there and done that. I believe this is partly achieved between the first and second year trips to the placement sites during the summer; however, I believe this could be strengthened with the addition of an alumni database that incorporated more of past participants' day to day interactions.

I certainly believe that MTC does a pretty good job investing in its participants and making most of us feel like the journey is worthwhile; however, I believe that if MTC showed participants where to get involved in their communities, through alumni resources, the desire to quit might just become merely a passing thought on the hard days rather than an idea turned to action. Show participants how to survive away from summer, by helping them invest in their communities and getting them involved in things outside of school.

 

grateful for community

If one were to ask me the easiest place to meet people and make friends outside of MTC/TFA/school, my response would be this one word: church. This two years is a tough, humbling experience, and I have found that the church community provides incredible relief for the desperate, the faint of heart, and the weary, all of which I have claimed to be at some point during my tenure with MTC.

During my first year of teaching, I lived in Jackson, a new location full of familiar faces. I didn't need to make friends, because, well, I already had them. Many of my good friends from college moved to Jackson within months of my move, so I never felt the need to go out and meet new people, although I did through old friends.

I found myself in a completely different situation when I moved to the Delta in July. For the first time, I really knew no one other than my roommates, TFA-ers whom I'd actually just met. Knowing that too much teacher talk would send me into a spiral of desperation, I began church hunting with one of my roommates. Within two weeks, we found a sweet little church in Greenwood full of people who were willing to feed us, love on us, and nurse the wounds that come from teaching in situations like ours. We found a community that wasn't made up solely of teachers; we found a home.

Since that first blessed Sunday when, by God's grace, we attended Westminster, our lives have been enriched for the better. Our Sunday school teachers, E and T welcomed us in immediately by inviting two strangers into their home for lunch that first Sunday. We played with their girls, and for the first time in a long time, forgot about the trials and tribulations that Monday might hold. E and T wanted to know about us as people rather than as teachers. They asked about our homes, our families, and earnestly wanted to know how we were doing. They didn't ask much about school, and in turn, filled us up with God's love. While we entered the doors of Westminster Pres broken and disheartened, we left restored and reassured that we were not alone in this fight.

Each Sunday since the first, the community Christ provides at Westminster continues to be my source of rest and relief from the world that consumes so many of my days. Halloween carnivals, Sunday lunches, Sunday school, football games, and encouraging words from our Google group serve as reminders that I cannot do this alone. I need a community full of other believers who, like me, are poor in spirit, broken, and desperate for a love that only Christ our King can provide.

a day in the life of a second year MTC teacher

5:37am- My alarm clock goes off and I ponder whether or not it’s the middle of the night or actually time to get up. Sadly, it’s usually time to get up.

5:53am- I’m dressed and ready to go. I head to the kitchen where my roommate has so kindly made coffee. I doctor up my coffee with a little peppermint mocha creamer (tastes like heaven) and toast my bagel- the breakfast of champions but not necessarily winners.

6:00am- “Couch time”- I spend between 15-20 minutes of every morning on the couch, reading my Bible, journaling, and mentally preparing myself for the day (putting on the armor- Ephesians anyone?). Usually, this 20 or so minutes flies by but also leaves me a little calmer- at least for the drive to school.

6:30-6:35am- I brush my teeth and get myself out of the door, usually to the ringing of my phone.

6:35-6:45am- The 22 mile drive to Ruleville begins, and I have the luxury of talking to my mama on her way to work. This is a little tradition we started during my first year of teaching, and I need my morning pep talks with her almost as much as I need “couch time”. As tough as this job is on me, I can guarantee that it has proven to be just as hard on my parents who have supported me the entire way.

7:05am- I arrive at school and spend roughly 3 minutes trying to figure out how to get the scanner to read my hand.

7:05-7:27am- I take my copies down to the correct location and pray that they’re actually made on time.

7:27am- I report to my green paw print in the middle of the hallway for daily duty, as students are released from the gym and cafeteria for first period.

7:40am- First period begins. First period is fantastically easy for the most part. I have a pretty smart crew in this class, and their retention of the material makes teaching history pretty fun.

8:40am- I head back to the green paw print while praying that a select few are absent today.

8:43am- Second period begins, and I urge those not doing anything to begin working on their bellringers- usually, only a few actually comply. Second period, like first period, contains some students who retain the material pretty well, which makes this class another fun one to teach- on good days.

9:43am- Back to the green paw print I go, as I wait for my smallest, yet often most challenging, class to arrive.

9:46am- Third period officially begins, and I give the necessary “if you choose not to do your work, you’re choosing to receive a zero” warning. Most fail to comply. Third period has very little retention of any previous material, let alone any current material. This class is often my most tedious and hardest.

10:46am- Back to the paw print again, as I wait for my largest and most talkative class to arrive, fourth period.

10:49am- Fourth period begins, and I begrudgingly utter the same phrase I’ve uttered at the beginning of every class since second period, “if you choose not to do your work, you’re choosing to receive a zero”. My students grumble. This class does the best, meaning I have fewer management problems, when they’re working silently, so they do- every.single.day. This class is also split by lunch, a factor that only typically creates additional troubles.

11:20am- The lunch bell rings; I turn off the lights and wait for a straight line and silence before unlocking the door. I walk them down to the lunchroom and say goodbye- at least for now.

11:22-11:42am- I eat my lunch in the silence of my dark classroom. I cherish these moments of quiet solitude, as I read the news and peruse my email.

11:42am- back to the paw print I go, fourth period is coming back from lunch.

11:44am- Fourth period begins again. 99% of the time I get them started on independent practice before lunch, so to prevent any latecomers from lunch from being confused. They whine about having to do more work after lunch, as I say a silent prayer that the next twenty minutes are the fastest I’ve ever experienced.

12:04pm- Fourth period finally ends and I let myself smile for the first time all day.

12:04-1:09pm- PLANNING PERIOD! On any given day, I have anywhere between one and ten kids in my room studying for the English II test, finishing work from my class, working on college and/or scholarship applications, or hanging out (only those who’ve been given explicit permission from their 5th period teachers are allowed to sit in my room without work to do).

1:09pm- I go back to the paw print for the second to last time today to await my 6th period Spanish class.

1:12-2:12pm- 6th period Spanish is a pretty easygoing class. They do their work; they help each other when I ask them to do so, and slowly but surely, most are remembering to study for my tests.  Considering that I’m usually exhausted by 6th period, this class does pretty well, and I rarely have any major issues with them. They’re pretty fun to teach too.

2:12pm- The green paw print and I have become pretty close this year, as I spend roughly half an hour standing on it each day. I await the arrival of my final class of the day: 7th period Spanish and say a quick prayer that all in attendance choose to act like seniors rather than Kindergartners.

2:15-3:15pm- 7th period Spanish is typically not fantastically fun for anyone involved. My students are tired; I am tired. They don’t want to work, and usually by that point, I am tired of fighting students to do work. Regardless of either, I teach and those who choose not to do the work choose to receive a zero.

3:15pm- The final bell of the day rings, and I am grateful that yet another day is almost over.

3:15-4:45pm- I put the bellringer on the board for the next day, change the date on my board, and do anything else that needs to be done for the next day before I begin tutoring. I tutor seniors who’ve failed the English II test. Most choose not to come. The ones who come will benefit, I hope.

4:50pm- I finally get to head home; however, my work is not yet done as I still have yet another day to prep for- arghhh, the joys of being a teacher- the work NEVER ends.

5:20pm- Home. Time to complete my least favorite chore of the day: making my lunch. I hate making my lunch although it takes very little time and I eat the same thing everyday. Into the toaster goes the whole wheat bread, into a clean Tupperware container goes the pineapple, into a clean Tupperware container goes the Swiss cheese and crackers, into my lunch bag goes a granola bar or pop-tart, and into the refrigerator goes a filled up water bottle. I make my PB&J (natural peanut butter with blackberry jam, as per usual) and I say a thankful prayer that I made my lunch in less than 2 minutes.

5:30-8:30pm- I run or walk, catch up on the social networking that’s been blocked during the school day, discuss the daily terrors that come with being a teacher in a critical needs school district with my roommates, finish any grading/ MTC homework that needs to be done sooner rather than later, eat dinner at home or with others, and attend any other social events/meetings that require my presence.

8:30-9:30pm- By this time, I shower, get ready for bed, and prepare myself to repeat the same day again tomorrow. Teaching has done a number on my sleeping habits, as I’m typically exhausted well before 10pm.

Finish Strong

I spent two summers in college working at a Christian summer camp in East Texas. Just after the midpoint of the summer, sometime shortly after the fourth of July, the camp directors and ministry staff began encouraging staff members to "finish strong". Citing these words found in Philippians 3:13-14, "Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead. I press on toward the goal  to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Jesus Christ", my bosses and camp mentors encouraged my fellow counselors and I to press onward, especially when we were tired, especially when the finish line was within sight. No matter how hard or how wonderful the beginning of the summer may have been, we were called by Christ to press on towards the finish line. Our kids at the end of the summer deserved the same energetic counselor that our kids at the beginning of the summer knew. As my journey with MTC begins to close, I am reminded to "finish strong".

In the next 220 days, I will not stop running nor will I slow down or look backward too long. I will continue to plan thought out lessons; I will stay after school for tutoring. I will arrive early for extra help. I will give up my planning period to edit college essays, to tutor English 2, and to give students a place to work on makeup work. I will teach and coach tennis to the very best of my ability. I will search for new ways to make history come alive. I will find ways to make Spanish an understandable language to students who can barely read in their native tongue of English. I will grade papers with the same diligence that I have all year, giving test grades out before the day is over. I will speak to my students in the same tone in which I expect them to address me. I will listen and I will try to be understanding. I will get the district paper work done on time, and I will complete all tasks assigned to me by my administration, no matter how irrelevant they may be. I will give my kids my best, especially when I am tired, especially when I am frustrated. My students didn't choose to be apart of this system, but I chose to come here to teach them. Because this is a race I've been called by Christ to run, I must finish strong, because He commands me to do so.

In 27 weeks, 220 days, this journey, this two year journey of ups and downs and all-over-the-places, will be over. As a second year, I'm five eigths of the way through, over half way done yet more than half of the year still looms. I have 220 days left of this race to run, a mere fraction of what I've already completed; I have 27 weeks left to make my finish strong- to make this journey worth it, to give my district, my students, and myself the very best I have to offer.