Tell us about your experiences at your placement site so far. Where are you placed, and what kind of projects have you been working on? Has your experience been what you expected it would be? Why or why not? What have been some of your challenges so far? What have you been enjoying most about your site?
There is no way I could have imagined a better way to finish my six-year stay in Mississippi. VISTA placed me in Holly Springs, the site of the Mississippi Teacher Corps' "Extended Summer Training Program". Basically, MTC provides students in the area with a chance to attend summer school either for credit recovery or enrichment, all the while 1st year MTC teachers get an opportunity to teach for the first time prior to the beginning of the fall semester. The idea itself is pretty straightforward - teach students while training teachers - but the reality of putting on a program like this requires so much from the teachers and administrators involved.
As a VISTA Summer Associate, MTC created a few projects for me to work on over the course of the program. Teachers needed a place online where they could upload subject materials, worksheets, and games for younger, less experienced teachers to use in their classes. I created a Dropbox account with folders for different subjects and materials so teachers including MTC alumni could contribute resources. Our hope is that 1st Year Teachers today will become great future materials contributors for their younger peers.
The greatest portion of my work was devoted to filming and photographing lessons and role-plays. By filming full-length classes, the videos could be used to demonstrate examples of quality teaching and classroom management to younger teachers. All of the teachers generously allowed me to film and photograph their classes, even with little or no prior notice. So right before class began I would set up my laptop in a strategic location so that the perspective on the class was broad and captured as much as possible, and also so that students weren't conscious of the class being filmed. Then I would sit and take pictures of everything that went on in the classroom, teaching, student behavior, activities, etc. It helped me get to know who the students were, which turned out to be important in the office. Apart from my three bigger projects, there were little things around the summer school office that needed help from time to time such as writing detentions, answering the phone, running errands to classes.
Overall the work was constant and required lots of organization, but in truth it hardly felt like actual work because the environment, albeit stressful and serious at times, was so enjoyable. The people that constitute the Mississippi Teacher Corps are truly inspirational and beyond dedicated to the cause at hand. The summer school training program by itself is an interesting and often difficult thing to observe. The 1st Year Teachers come in with so much optimism and energy, and within two weeks time it seems as though everyone has been broken down in some way or another. Fatigue and vulnerability show up as these characters that seem like they will never leave. Even the most organized, diligent teachers who tried to be on top of things were reduced to tears with frequency....And yet, at the end of the summer, they are ready (at least as ready as possible) to take on their own class in the fall. Every day is viewed as a blank state. I actually heard one teacher explaining to her student that every class period itself was a blank slate. A new chance to change behavior, participate more, follow instructions. I deeply admire all of the new teachers and cannot wait to hear about their experiences this upcoming fall.
Apart from work, the folks at MTC also love to go hang out, eat good food, and play sand volleyball. As stressful as school could be, there were lots of opportunities to "get away from it all" so to speak and get to know everyone. Bus rides to and from Holly Springs weren't just for the much-needed nap, they were a great way to learn more about the incoming MTC class. The incoming class comes from all over the U.S. and all of them have degrees in something other than teaching. They are intelligent, funny, and hard-working. The Team Teachers are seasoned veterans of the program who have been invited to come back and help oversee the First Years. They were all so wonderful and dedicated, not to mention they have great stories from their teaching experiences.
Was my experience as a summer associate what I thought it would be? Not even close. I knew it was worth applying for, but I didn't know at the time how it would break my heart in certain places both for the students and for the teachers. I knew it would be challenging, but I wasn't sure exactly in what way. It will be impossible for me to ever think about education the same way again having been privileged enough to observe this group as they prepare to teach in critical-needs areas. It was challenging because you meet these young teachers that hold themselves to such high standards and they are striving to balance professionalism, sensitivity, authority, and mercy, all the while ensuring that students have the best possible chance at learning and thriving in their classroom. And then you get glimpses into the home lives of students and parents once school is over at noon, and it sheds light on why a student struggles to stay awake or frequently acts out in class. So much is occurring below the surface in a classroom with young kids and adolescents. Experienced teachers frequently spoke about developing "teacher eyes", "teacher ears", "your 6th sense", in order to detect and hone in on things as simple as note-passing to more delicate issues like student emotions. It is an exhausting profession, one I have so much more respect for having had this position.
I have loved my time in Mississippi so much, and to finish by watching and learning from people preparing to dedicate the next few years of their lives to improving education in public schools here...perhaps that is why it has taken me so long to post, I have struggled to verbalize how meaningful it was and how much I will miss this state and its people and those who serve it. Many thanks to Sharon Levine at VISTA and Aaron Johnson, MTC's Program Manager for this opportunity. I highly recommend the VISTA Summer Associate program to those looking for a meaningful, short-term summer experience.
"To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi". - William Faulkner
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