My Mississippi Teacher Corps experience in 1200 words…
I’m not sure how to begin this blog post. It’s my last one. Thank God. Blogging has probably been the thing I’ve disliked the most about my teacher corps experience. I never have the time, energy, or desire to come up with clever blog posts, and so they’re mostly word vomit (word vomit that I hope no one really reads).
My Mississippi Teacher Crops experience has been a whirlwind. I came to Mississippi in 2009 in a small red pickup truck with my husband and my dog. I didn’t expect anything. I had never been to Mississippi or any of its bordering states before, and I almost felt like I was moving to a foreign country. When I applied, I had to look on a map of the US to remind myself where Mississippi was again…pretty bad.
Mississippi itself has been a surprising place. I’ve fallen in love with the people, the history, and the food. The complex social structure is quite interesting. I’ve spent the last two years observing how the people in my small town interact with one another (or don’t). The black world and white world in Tunica are very much separate and although both sides are friendly toward one another in public, there aren’t many interracial friendships, marriages, or relationships in general. It still makes me uncomfortable, and although I’m white, I do not feel comfortable in white Tunica. I’m much more at home at my school, in the black neighborhoods, or with my black teacher friends. I’ve enjoyed learning about race and what it means to be one race or the other. It’s made me think a lot about myself and how I feel about certain social issues. I’m thankful I’ve experienced a place like this.
My experiences with my teacher corps friends have been wonderful. I’ve met some truly amazing people in this program. I hope that we will always be a part of each other’s lives in some way or another. This experience we’ve shared is special, and whether or not it’s been enjoyable, it has been a learning experience that is second to none. As a group, we’ve all been taken so far out of our comfort zones that we’ve had to dig deep and find ourselves. I think I know myself better now than I did two years ago. I think that this is a huge benefit of teacher corps. We, the teachers, learn to become more creative, more flexible, and more driven than we’ve ever had to be before. We’ve all grown up a lot in these last two years, and I’m thankful that I’ve had some great friends to lean on. Whether or not they stay in education, in Mississippi, or in contact with me, I’ll always have fond memories of my teacher corps class.
The best part of my teacher corps experience has been the kids. I absolutely love working with the kids. I love how they light up when I have a killer lesson, and I love how critical they are of me when my lessons suck. They’re brutally honest to the point of being almost offensive. When they love you, they really really love you, and they’re not afraid to show it. Their smiles and hugs make my job worth it. Their test scores are a bonus, and although they don’t say thank you often, the occasional thank you means more to me than I’ll ever let them know. They have taught me more than I’ll ever teach them, and I am thankful for every single one of them (even the ones who went crazy on me). I look forward to seeing what they make of their lives. I hope that some will keep in touch, and I only wish each and every one of them well. I’m not staying at my school next year, in Mississippi, or in education, and I will truly miss the kids. The one good thing about teaching is that no matter how many things go wrong in day, there’s always something someone says or does that will make you laugh and remind you what it’s like to be a kid again. I’ll miss those moments because I do laugh really hard at work every single day. Not everyone can say that.
I have truly enjoyed my teacher corps experience. I am so much more aware of educational issues and poverty issues than I was two years ago. This experience has been invaluable and probably the second best experience of my life (the best experience was marrying my husband). I have spent the last two months wrestling with what I want to do next in life. I applied to dental school last summer not thinking I’d get in. I ended up interviewing at an amazing school in Arizona, and by some small miracle, I was accepted. Although I was overjoyed with the acceptance, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to leave education and pursue a dental degree. This decision has literally kept me awake at night. I finally decided that I am going to pursue dentistry. I just don’t think that teaching is sustainable for me. I am excited and nervous about my decision. Jacob and I will again have to move across country and start over in a new place. We’re ready for a new adventure, and I’m ready to use some of the skills I’ve learned as an educator in my new career. I hope to one day be an oral surgeon in the pediatric wing of a hospital, fixing birth defects or mouth trauma. It’s going to be a long journey, but I’m ready for the challenge. If I can survive teaching for two years in the Mississippi delta, I suppose I can survive anything. We’ll be leaving at the end of the summer with our two cars, two dogs, and a whole lot of good memories.
I have 200 words left and I want to use them to thank everyone in the teacher corps family for their support and guidance these past two years. This program is truly amazing, and I feel like I was molded into the best teacher I could possibly be in such a short amount of time. The training is second to none, and I felt ready to run my own classroom after the summer training my first year. A special thanks goes to Pete Nelson, the oracle. He was one hell of a team teacher, and he truly inspired me that first summer. I also want to thank Sara for sticking it out with me. We were the only two teachers to survive “Team Bio.” Ann, Ben, and Dr. Mullins, thank you for choosing me to be a part of this program. I feel really blessed for all of the experiences I have had with teacher corps. And, finally, I want to give a huge special thanks to all of my fellow corps members. All of you are very special to me, and I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. It’s been a great two years, and I’m sad it’s ending, but I will definitely leave with fond memories of my time here in the South.

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