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A J In The Delta

Monday, July 17, 2006

Go Shawty

Every time I hear myself talk, I am amazed at how country I sound. I videotaped myself on a very special day - my birthday!!!! I came to class on Wednesday morning expecting nothing, and what did I get … more than I could have asked for. The wonderful people of the MTC sang happy birthday to me and gave me a muffin with a candle on top. I was so shocked and surprised to see that someone was thinking of me. It was so sweet! It really meant a lot to me knowing that people care. So there I was, smiling and thinking of what to wish for and feeling so much love. Then it finally hit me - what do I want more than anything else? (Wouldn’t you like to know?) Well, I can’t tell you what it is ‘cause then it won’t come true. The whole time they were singing I was thinking, “They really care!!” Then just when I thought I had the fixings of a perfect birthday, I go outside to find that my car had been decorated with pink balloons, window paint and streamers. Then, I look on my front windshield and find the cutest little stuffed pink bunny I had ever laid eyes on. Now who would put a bunny on my car? The only thing that could possibly top that morning would be iced-wine and Sonic burgers by candlelight ...

Over the last few weeks, I’ve seen our small group of unique and talented individuals, our corps of teachers with common goals and aspirations, become a team. We are all working together, and learning from one another. I feel like I have improved so much this summer, and have seen my peers continue to get better with every lesson as well. I learned from one of our English teachers that cor- in latin means heart. And that is what I see when I look around at our class of MTC first-years. They care so much about what they are doing and want to be incredible teachers wherever they are going. It makes me proud to be a part of this team. I hope that we all keep this open mind and open heart when things become difficult for us this year.

Now back to my video. I think I did much better this time around. I finally walked around the classroom. Since I had more than two students, I had reason to. I forgot to state my objectives during my set, and did this the first three days of class. Now I just need to remember to point them out on the board and read them to the class. My dress attire was fine, but I should probably wear quieter shoes. With every step, my shoes make a noise that sounds like someone is tap-dancing around the room. I need to work on not saying “ok” after I give directions. Also, I shouldn’t say “right” at the end of statements. I need to label what I write on the board. I was writing formulas all over the board, and none of them were labeled.

Monday, July 03, 2006

Serendipity



"I set off to change the world, and the world changed me"
-motorcycle diaries, che guevera's autobiography
*A very special person told me about this quote. I feel like it sums up my MTC experience.


I had no idea that Oxford was so beautiful. Actually, that nature was so beautiful. I never made the time to stop and enjoy what was all around me before, but now that basketball is over I have had the chance to enjoy and experience many new things. I think the things I have enjoyed the most are the MTC people and the late night walks. I have never had friends that were more than athletes. This is the first time I have ever been around people who are what I consider the ultimate athletes. I must say that I really enjoy the new company. I feel as if I have learned more in the past few weeks than I have my whole life, by getting to know different types of people. To me, it is great to have so many different types of people interacting in one place at one time. I feel like I have learned so much by just listening to people's different philosophies of life. This whole experience in my eyes has been a blessing. These last couple of weeks have changed my life in so many ways, and I feel that most of these are for the better.


Now, back to those late night walks. I have never in my life even thought about taking a late night stroll down the street, nevermind through the woods. But suprisingly, I like it. I like facing my fears and not knowing what is lurking out there in the dark. And the stars and moon make it even more worthwhile. The natural world can be so beautiful, just like the people I've gotten to know. I feel ashamed to say that I never took the time to see that. That is very sad. I always thought life couldn't get much better than it was - you know, because I was a student-athlete - but this is what life is really all about. Seeing new places and making new friends. I am enjoying this experience. I feel like I learn more and more about myself everyday. I have learned more about myself in these past couple of weeks than I did in the past four years.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Holly-Green-Wood

The Delta is a strange place. It is extremely hot and there are huge mosquitoes. It is like a whole different world compared to Oxford. People have been telling me that Oxford is like no other place in Mississippi. Now I believe them. Despite the humidity and mosquitoes, I really like the Delta. Now back to the other things I don’t like. House hunting is crazy in the, "Nicest town in the Delta." How can Greenwood be the nicest town in the Delta and there be no available housing? Every place we looked at was sub-leasing to cockroaches, with a nice pastel paint job of mold and mildew. And what is up with "don't live south of the bridge?" I think that is crap. Every realtor told us that. So we decided to look for ourselves, and the houses were the same except that black people lived in them. Although the housing was not all that good, I am really excited about living there. Every time I tell my Ole Miss friends that I am going to teach in Greenwood they give me this look. A look like, "Wow, what the *$#% are you thinking?" I mean, how bad can it be? I can't wait. I just hope that I can make a difference in a student's life. I can't wait for this new adventure to begin. Maybe one day they will make a movie about me and play it on Lifetime.

Self Evaluation

I look nothing like I imagined myself to look on camera. I think my overall lesson was good. It had its ups and downs. I thought this was a good idea because now I see what I need to work on. I first need to work on speaking louder. I know I only have two kids but I could not hear myself on the video. I definitely need to talk louder and walk around the class more. Also I should talk slower. I am a "speed talker." Second I stood through the whole lesson. I should probably take Ben's advice and sit some. I feel like the lecture was more of a discussion than a lecture. Which I think is great. I am already very tired of lecturing. I am happy that the lecture was open ended. The students had a lot of input and gave their opinion on the subject. I feel like I should smile more and show the students that I am enjoying teaching them. I also need to work on my timing. I always get to my closure a few minutes too soon. I did like that I questioned the students a lot throughout my lecture. I just wonder how am I going to do this with a larger classroom. How will I check for the understanding of thirty students?! I like the idea of giving a quiz at the beginning of every class. This would be an excellent way to check for understanding. I think my lesson was ok, but I have some things to work on. Modifications to my lesson will need to be made in a bigger setting.