mat. the. whopper.

i promise my assigned blogposts are coming. but in an effort to procrastinate (i really think i am ADD). i have discovered an argument with which i am unfamiliar and for the most part, an argument with which i diasagree. [i was supposed to disagree with ben/someone affiliated with MTC but i love the program to much]

this clip shows Amy Wilkins of EdTrust ripping a new one for Dan Brown [blogger for HuffPo and TFA alum] on the issue of first year teachers placed in critical needs areas and the system that sends them there. should programs like MTC, TFA, various teacher fellowships place first year teachers [inexperienced nubes] in the worst possible environment, [i.e. the MS delta, the bronx, southside LA]? i honestly have not thought about this before today even though i've worked for TFA, i currently work for MTC, and i am interested in and research public education policy in MS and the US. do i have a biased altruistic view of these programs that results in my ignorance of the argument? to an extent yes. my personal experience and optimistic nature lead me to believe that one teacher, experienced or not, can dramatically impact the lives of students in their classrooms. the accounts, stories, and blogs of first and second year teachers' experiences give me hope about a broken system. the interaction with dedicated, passionate MTC/TFA/etc recruits/participants reinforces my belief in the inherent goodness of human nature [no matter the reason they joined the program]. but are these programs effectively and consistently hiring/employing enough of "that one teacher" to make a systemic and fundamental change in public education? yes and no. huh? yes, the teachers in these programs are without a doubt making change. there are a plethora of examples [Kira Orange-Jones, Michelle Rhee, Geoff Starron ]. unfortunately, this change rarely happens in the first or second year [the commitment for most of the programs]. that is understandable, expected even. i found some insight at SW's blog. "The first year of teaching is about surviving.The second year is about the kids." i like to think the third year, fourth year, twentieth year, will be about the kids. but Amy Wilkins feels like that first year is much too valuable, and frankly i don't disagree. "You are teaching the most challenging kids there are to teach and they need the most skilled and experienced teachers." almost a DUH moment. i do however disagree with her scathing "you had no business in that school [classroom]" these kids simply, in most cases, DO NOT have access to skilled and experienced teachers. BUT possibly the most inspiring thing about these programs is that they DO provide to underprivileged students access to passionate, willing, intellectual, talented and diverse leaders who have dedicated themselves to a cause: the kids in critical needs areas. maybe east st. louis or southside chicago isn't really the most ideal place for the fresh harvard grad with zero teaching experience. but where else can we place these nubes? unfortunately in the MTC 1st year teachers are not placed in a good district with good classrooms and honestly that isn't the mission. we place these 1st years in places where no one wants to teach. in the absolut world as i like to say, we would place vetted, master teachers in the critical needs areas and the first years would get a taste of the idealistic educational experience where students value their teacher, don't disrupt the classroom, and strive to succeed. in a highly functioning system teachers should have to earn the right to teach in the delta. we've got a ways to go. but, amy wilkins, this is not what these programs are about... they are about the kids, kids in inner-city jackson and rural south dakota, who are not receiving a quality education via their state/federal government. and while their faults may exceed their successes, they are committed to improving the educational opportunities of their students. so please don't tell me that because i don't have 20 years experience in a successful connecticut public school district, that i don't belong in a classroom that desperately needs me.

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pre-k. how and when?

nobody@vox.com(mopper) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:41:17 -0700

talk to the experts. talk to the teachers. talk to the kids. the consensus, from what i've learned, is that pre-k is essential to the improvement of education and equality in this state. so what the heck is holding us back. mr. claiborne barksdale gave us some insight into the conundrum that pre-k presents in mississippi. he discussed the politics behind the hesitance of establishing a pre-k system. he also gave some background as to why mississippi is one of like 8 states without one. despite the discouraging statistics and politics, there is hope. the barksdale reading institute provides that hope. they are doing amazing things for a multitude of students in mississippi. the history of the institute is really intriguing. the barksdale family is so very generous the cause of education in mississippi. and mr. claiborne is very dedicated to improving education in this state. initially the bri had some 'problems' implementing their policies and procedures in the classroom. but basically you just can't see or comprehend drastic results in one or two years. regardless, the bri has undergone some restructuring in the way they implement their policies. and for the most part, those changes have been successful. i look forward to hearing more about the bri over the next few weeks. and i'm especially excited about the changes that the bri is making in mississippi public education.

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crash course

nobody@vox.com(mopper) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 23:09:11 -0700

i found sandra knispel to be quite an interesting person. i had met her before her talk. she was extremely helpful in the search for my lost cat, noros. i also met her twins who are by far the cutest four year olds i've ever met. she has a wonderful accent and i could listen to her talk about anything. and she talks about important and engaging stuff so i was completely captivated during our discussion of journalism and media. as an 'outsider' [originally from germany], she had an interesting perspective on the american media. she talked about the focus of most media outlets is america with very little international reporting. she also believes that media is portrayed negatively in many ways. i find this to be true. she also had an interesting insight into the subjectivity of a reporter. it's impossible to be completely objective, but the job of the journalist is to be as objective as possible. and from listening to ms. knispel's story, i think she does a great job. she also made some distinctions between her employer, npr/mpb, and media corporations like cnn, timewarner, and fox. she also talked about the influence that blogs have. and i agree with her that opinionated blogs can really misinform readers. i have to be careful because i read a lot of blogs, mostly political. but i try to maintain a balance of information.

dr. winkle was equally captivating. i had heard lots of great things about dr. winkle and his classes. unfortunately i have never been able to take one of his classes. his discussion of brown v. board was very enlightening. i'm pretty familiar with the case and its relation to the south and the civil rights movement. dr. winkle talked about the judicial aspects of the case and its relation to the nation. it was incredible to learn about the politics of the case. i didn't quite comprehend the enormity of the case and its results but dr. winkle really but brown v. board into perspective. it really made me excited about being enrolled in dr. winkles conversation course for the fall. i look forward to learning about presidential politics and how they've impacted judicial politics.

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rome wasn't built in 5 days

nobody@vox.com(mopper) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:45:13 -0700

i know that the saying goes "rome wasn't built in a day" but it wasn't built in five days either.

that being said, i think we (the interns) have accomplished a lot in the past five days:

i think we've all connected, on some level, to each other. and that's important because we'll be working together all summer long. i look forward to getting to know everyone on a more personal level.

i've learned a lot. i go to school here at ole miss. i'm quite familiar with public education in the state. and i've lived in mississippi my entire life. but i'm still learning about all those things. i think the teacher corps will broaden my knowledge about all these topics: ole miss, education, and mississippi; it has in five days. give it two months.

i think our (phillip, christine, amanda and me) most important day was monday. we worked really hard at the institute and made some good progress on the 'curriculum project.' it was a long day. and i'm still concerned with the enormity of the project. but after a deep breath and like 6 hours of work, i think we at least fleshed out some sort of process. this will make it easier to continue working on the project with confidence and control.

dr. mullins was one of my favorite parts of the past five days of internment [haha, i think i might start calling it that. we'll see how this week goes...] he is one of the most interesting [probably the most interesting] persons i've ever had the pleasure of meeting. his depth of knowledge about this state and its history is remarkable. what i admire the most about him is that he made that history; he was an integral part of it. history is my favorite subject. people like dr. mullins help me understand the importance of not only appreciating history but making history. i digress. i really could go on for a few more paragraphs, but i promise there will be more to come on dr. mullins and his son's band: the sleepwalkers. they're good.

we may just be interns, but we have an important job. i'm not exactly sure what it is yet, but we sure as hell haven't accomplished it in only five days. check back in august. BUT these five days have served as a catalyst for my excitement and energy. i hope that the other interns are just as excited and energized as i am.

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No Child Left Behind: Football Edition

nobody@vox.com(mopper) — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:16:10 -0700

during my daily blogrollcall i found this interesting post by Jeff Walters over at Cotton Mouth. He found it in a user diary at DailyKos. It really puts things in perspective. Unless you don't understand football in which case you're probably just more confused about NCLB.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND - FOOTBALL VERSION, author unknown,

(suggested by Bruce Patterson, Central Michigan University)
1. All teams must make the state playoffs and all MUST win the championship. If a team does
not win the championship, they will be on probation until they are the champions, and coaches will be held accountable. If after two years they have not won the championship their footballs and equipment will be taken away UNTIL they do win the championship.
2. All kids will be expected to have the same football skills at the same time, even if they do not have the same conditions or opportunities to practice on their own. NO exceptions will be made for lack of interest in football, a desire to perform athletically, or genetic abilities or disabilities of themselves or their parents. ALL KIDS WILL PLAY FOOTBALL AT A PROFICIENT LEVEL!
3. Talented players will be asked to work out on their own, without instruction. This is because the coaches will be using all their instructional time with the athletes who aren't interested in football, have limited athletic ability or whose parents don't like football.
4. Games will be played year round, but statistics will only be kept in the 4th, 8th, and 11th game.
This will create a New Age of Sports where every school is expected to have the same level of talent and all teams will reach the same minimum goals. If no child gets ahead, then no child gets left behind. If parents do not like this new law, they are encouraged to vote for vouchers and support private schools that can screen out the non-athletes and prevent their children from having to go to school with bad football players.

with nclb football edition walnut high school would have certainly been a level one.

thank you president bush for your wonderful leadership.

let's help get this guy elected.

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i just can't catch a break

nobody@vox.com(mopper) — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:55:25 -0700

literally. i haven't stopped since january. but this friday will be my last day of class until august. and i get a whole 5 days of no work or school. i really cannot wait.

i also can't wait to start my internship with the mississippi teacher corps. this will be a life-changing experience. hopefully i'm prepared to accept those changes. we shall see.

i'm having trouble trying to decide where i'm going to focus my intern project. i know that i want to make a film. but not sure what it will be about.

also, norris is missing. the family cat for which i'm housesitting. he's been gone for a week. if you see a fat black tail-less cat running around the east side of the square please let me know.

will blog again once this intense maymester class is over.

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If I could borrow some time...

nobody@vox.com(mopper) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 21:00:13 -0700

I wish this week wasn't so hellacious.

Projects. Meetings. Presentations. Films. Life.

That is all. I would write more. But time is of the essence.

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Get Folked Up

nobody@vox.com(mopper) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:41:42 -0700

This weekend I went on a tour of the delta. It's a strangely beautiful place. Flat: in geography and economy. I just kept thinking where do all these people work. How do they make money?

I guess I should tell you why I went to the Delta. My classmates and I are making a documentary for our Southern Studies 334 field work class. We are interviewing folk artists. We're not really sure what our subject is. Essentially, I think it will be a running narrative of folk artists and their definitions of their work.

We went to Greenwood. Ate at the Crystal Grill. Then to Itta Bena, where we interviewed Mr. Fisher and filmed his pink house and lions and cherubs. We visited Robert Johnson's grave. Folklore tells that you have to leave something and take something. We left a red bandana. And took an old plastic flower like the ones you find in a funeral wreath. After that we stopped at this crazy folk-decorated church. It's in Vicksburg on Old Hwy 61. I can't describe so I'll let you look at it. We interviewed Ms. Lesley at the Attic Gallery in downtown Vicksburg. What a neat place! Then we played on Charlie's farm in Rolling Fork. That night we ate at the original Doe's. Heavenly. Next morning, we attended Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church in Rolling Fork with the Weissinger family. We enjoyed a nice potluck lunch. We had an afternoon interview with Mr. Lee Washington. He makes figures out of used cotton spindles. He gave us one to keep. He was incredibly genuine and generous. Jen and I had to be back in Oxford for a meeting, so we had to skip our interview with Micah the muralist from Rolling Fork. Apparently she had to throw her father-in-law in the river so we couldn't do our interview. She later specified that she had to throw his ashes in the river, not his body. I really hate that we missed her because I'm sure she would've provided some great footage.

It was a great weekend.

And now I'm sick. I think it's a sinus infection/allergies. I'm going to the ENT tomorrow.

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I'm new.

nobody@vox.com(mopper) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:26:19 -0700

To blogging that is.

I've created this blog as a request from Ben Guest. He's the director of the Mississippi Teacher Corps where I'll be interning this summer. I really can't wait.

Honestly, I've wanted to start a blog for quite sometime. Mostly because I learn so much from other people's blogs.

But people have to read this blog in order to learn something about me. And I don't think a lot of people will. But I'll still have a blog.

So here is my blog. I feel as though there should be some sort of ceremonious bang like a ribbon cutting ceremony or something.

More to come.

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