My Final MTC Post

            Believe it or not, this will be my final blog post….ever.  I never blogged before coming down to Mississippi and never really cared to.  Looking back though from the blog of my first trip to the delta to this – my summation of my MTC experience.  While this experience seems to really draw the worst out of people, as a Christian, it has really drawn me closer to the Lord. 

                  I genuinely prayed everyday Senior Year at Grove City that I would be led wherever God wanted me.  Proverbs 3 simply says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your path straight.”  Besides getting married this past summer one of the highlights of my recent years was receiving the email from Ben saying ‘You’ve been accepted in the Mississippi Teacher Corps’.  Don’t get me wrong – this experience has been terribly difficult but I’ve grown more than I ever have as a person and am so thankful for the experience.

                  For this blog I’d like to relate my situation during each part of the two-year experience to a Biblical character in a similar environment.   Obviously there won’t be a 100% correlation but the feelings during experience seemed so extreme – from the optimism of the first summer to the depressing times of the first year then transitioning to the highs of the second year being down here with my best friend and now wife – Jenny.

Summer 2010:  Noah

                  Although I was surrounded by some of the most Godly men I’ve ever met at Grove City College and not an ‘unrighteous’ generation as Noah was, I felt as though I had a very unique calling to come down to Mississippi.  After being accepted into MTC I thought God may be calling me down to Mississippi, however after being accepted into Teach For America two days later, in the Mississippi Delta, the calling seemed clear.  My first summer in Mississippi was certainly difficult being away from friends and family although it was comforting being built up on a daily basis by fellow Christians like Hunter, Phil and Josh on what seemed like an hourly basis.  Going through the summer was incredibly easy on the teaching side and maybe if it was harder I would’ve been more prepared to teach in my own classroom but nevertheless, I was thankful for the ease of the first summer.

August – December 2010:  Job

                  By far the most trying time in my life.  By far.  Not necessarily the darkest time but I remember coming home each day during the first half of the year and just wondering how I could possibly summon the strength to make it through the first day.  This reminds me of Job – he was a Godly man that was allowed to be tempted by the devil to prove his character and undying faith in God.  Everything was taken from him  - from his family to fortune and he remained steadfast in the Lord.  What seemed like every day had an element of chaos in it and the homesickness really started to set in.  I made a decision early on in Mississippi that I would see Jenny monthly.  This along with my relationship with Jesus Christ really made this trying time manageable. 

January – May 2010:  Paul

                  Even though I never started my own church, I did seem to have a ‘road to Damascus feeling’ where the tables flipped.  Not through a fight or magic but coming back from Christmas break I realized that getting a relatively fresh start with students helped reinforce the rules and procedures I worked feverishly to iron out along with the help of my Master Teacher roommate – Chris Curran.  He had an approach to the children that I wanted to mimic – he cared about the children although was a firm believer in consistent discipline – as opposed to paddling in anger.  Obviously myself and Chris would never hit a student but through consistent rules and consequences we could run a classroom that would fit in even in Oxford. 

Summer 2011:  Joshua

                  After 40 long and hard years wandering around a desolate wilderness Joshua had the joy of leading the Jews in the Promised Land.  It wasn’t without struggles over food, shelter and safety.  Joshua was one of Moses’ 12 spies to scout out the land of Canaan and was one of only two to send a positive report.  He had quite a legacy on Earth and certainly goes down as a hero of faith in the Bible.  In the same way I felt like I was entering the Promised Land driving back to Charlottesville to get married after my first year of teaching.  The second summer in Oxford before my great migration back up north seemed to pass incredibly quickly and was a nice confidence booster in that I had virtually zero major problems and the minor problems or issues that I did have only helped me become a better teacher.  I was proud of the fact that I relied on God throughout the difficult stretch of time and was ready for some much needed rest and relaxation before heading back down to the delta to start my second year.

August – December 2011:  Adam (pre-fall)

                  Although Adam certainly wasn’t one of the more glorious characters in the Bible, I can’t imagine what was going through his mind in the Garden of Eden.  As almost every Christian and non-Christian know, Adam really screwed things up by allowing Eve to eat the forbidden fruit but before that point he enjoyed perfect harmony in God’s creation enjoying everything with his wife Eve.  While I have yet to eat the forbidden fruit and certainly don’t want the shame Adam endured, it really did feel like coming down to a new creation coming down here with Jenny.  During my first year I wondered how I would simply make it through the day.  Returning home each day from school the second year would typically result in us going on a run, hike or simply walking our puppy – Molly.   We enjoyed our time after school as much as possible.  While I’m not a self-promoter, my time spent in the classroom was so much more efficient.  Not in terms of planning necessarily, but my students were learning things so much quicker thanks to incredibly tight management and procedures.  We could get through lessons in a fraction of the time and quarterly assessments show incredible gain.  The second year was off to a great start, one that almost mimicked the start of Adam in the Garden.

                 

January – May 2012:  Peter

                  In the Bible Peter is one of the characters that has many different ‘colors’.  He is certainly a follower of Jesus but also struggles with fully believing 100% of the time.  Although many may say that he wasn’t a great Christian I would argue that almost every Christian goes through seasons like this as fallen creatures.  One of my favorite episodes in the Bible with Peter is when he is out on a boat and Jesus appears, walking on water.  Peter wants desperately to join Jesus but certainly struggles with his total commitment.  He gets out of the boat and starts to sink because he takes his eyes of Jesus.  The second half of the year has been so enjoyable up to this point although I need to remind myself to constantly keep my eyes on Christ to lead us wherever we may go next.  Hopefully that will be in Charlottesville to continue our careers as teachers and be close to family however I will never forget my time serving underprivileged kids in the delta.

Third Year?

         The few times we’ve been in Oxford for class this semester it seems like the first question out of everyone’s mouth is ‘so….have you decided on what you’re doing for next year?’  The question is both complicated and unsettled, however, I certainly plan on teaching next year.  There are three determining factors that will decide where my wife and I end up.

1.)  Geographic Location = It takes a full 24 hours (assuming you stay at a hotel for 7 hours and take 2 bathroom breaks) to drive from Greenville to Charlottesville.  That’s just too far.  As much as I’ve absolutely enjoyed my time in Mississippi I simply miss seeing my friends and family.  I will always cherish my time here but I believe that the geographical isolation from all things familiar is too much to overcome when thinking about staying a third year.

2.)  Job Availability = There are few things places in the country that need teachers as badly as Mississippi.  I feel like most of the time I’m teaching in an incredibly dysfunctional part of the country although I always remind myself that I’m not paying a dime for my Master’s Degree in Education.  Having started the application process for schools in Charlottesville, Virginia Beach and Philadelphia I’m beginning to realize the state of the economy.  One particular school district in Charlottesville received 900 applications for 110 positions in 2011.  Our school still doesn’t have a reading teacher.  This will certainly impact my decision to stay a third year.

3.)  My relationship with Jesus Christ = I’ve been frustrated at times sharing my faith with other corps members, however something happened to me my senior year at Grove City College that I will never forget.  Frustrated by rejection from several alternate route education programs I applied to the last two on my list – TFA and MTC.  I wanted so desperately a chance to impact at-risk youth in the classroom that I prayed everyday in the chapel just for an opportunity – wherever it was.  Within a two day span I was accepted to both MTC and TFA, however my non-negotiable TFA placement would be in the Mississippi Delta.  It was such a clear sign from God that I need to pack my things and go to the delta.  I’ve been a Christian my whole life and am confident that God will lead us in our next phase of life…wherever that may be.

Deep in the Heart's Core 2012

For this blog assignment we were given free reign to devote 400 characters to so I decided to write about the best things I’ve found to do in Greenville, Mississippi.

• Go to Leroy Percy State Park = There is a secret two mile loop in this park in Hollandale that makes you feel like you are somewhere besides Mississippi.  There are signs up all over the place saying ‘Beware of Alligators’ but we’ve never seen one. 
• Get a warm donut and muffin at Shipley’s = For only $1.80 you can enjoy a glazed donut and fresh greasy muffin.  Not a bad breakfast at all.
• Go kayaking in Leland = Bringing a paddle boat on the Mississippi is way too dangerous and I’ve found kayaking on Lake Fergusson can become boring but take a boat out to Leland and go down Wolf Creek as far as the tide will take you.
• Go to Church at First Baptist in Greenville = Some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet and a great way to be spiritually challenged.
• Practice your swing at Greenville Municipal Golf Course = For only $3 you can get a bucket of balls and it’s obviously free to practice your putting stroke.  If you are bored head over to the muni right next to the airport.
• Get an iced coffee at the new McDonalds at the corner of Hwy 1 and Bowman Blvd = Its by far the newest and nicest McDonalds and a great place to enjoy a sugar-ey iced coffee with the lack of Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts.
• Train for the Cotton Classic = A 10k race in April, this attracts what seems like most of the town.  Hopefully by this point you’ll have gotten your second wind and managed the time to train.

2nd Half of 2nd Year Goals

As the year comes to a close I can’t believe that my time in Mississippi is coming to a close.  Despite the difficulties of my first year this year has been incredible and truly enjoyable.  At the same time I do truly miss being around my family and friends back in Philadelphia.  At the same time

1.)  Continue to build CHARACTER in my students = My classroom is silent.  My kids respect me and one another in my classroom.  Words like ‘shut up’ and other disrespectful words are not allowed and there are stiff consequences for violating that rule.  The problem is that when I see my fourth period hit each other in another teachers class I simply feel like I failed, or at least have much more room to go before I consider my year a success. 

2.)  Pour into my students more = I offer after school tutoring, help out with random extracurricular activities and have random conferences with students when I can tell something isn’t right with them.  It may be a problem at home, problem with another student or just a bad time for them.  By this point the kids know that I deeply care for each and every one of them and we can solve most things.  While these are all good things I’d like to look for more ways to pour into the kids.

3.)  Show Growth on the MCT2 = So far this year my kids are showing great growth, especially compared with last year, however the only thing that really matters to the state and district is how they do on the state test.  While there are countless debates about how effective this is or whether there should be other metrics to measure student achievement, I can’t do anything about how much weight they put on the MCT2 so we’ll just do our absolute best. 

4.)  Enjoy the rest of the year = It is tempting for me to look to next year and want this year to end, however, school truly has been enjoyable this year and I should savor this experience.

A Day in the Life of Bill Doar

6:10 = Wake up 

6:11 – 6:17 = Take out our dog Molly

6:17 – 6:35 = Shower and get dressed for school

6:36 = Grab my jelly toast and drink ¼ a can of soda (seriously) and take a multivitamin

6:37 – 6:40 = Drive to school (1 stop light)

6:41 – 6:47 = Clock in and drop my bag off in my room

6:50 – 7:40 = Hold 7^th grade in gym with science teacher and make them silently read.  Each time a student talks they receive a demerit

7:45 – 8:48 = 1^st period = 7^th grade math

         8:48 – 8:52 = Hall Duty

8:52 – 9:42 = 2^nd period = 7^th grade math

         9:46 – 9:50 = Hall Duty

9:50 – 10:30 = 3^rd period = Planning Period (Catch my breath and make copies for the next day)

           10:30 – 10:34 = Hall Duty

10:34 – 11:30 = 4^th period = 7^th grade math

            11:30 – 11:34 = Hall Duty

11:34 – 1:06 = 5^th period = 7^th grade math + take class to lunch and eat with them

                  1:06 – 1:10 = Hall Duty

1:10 – 2:00 = 6^th period = 7^th grade math

              2:00 – 2:04 = Hall Duty

2:04 – 3:00 = 7^th period = 7^th grade math

                  3:00 – 3:30 = Hold 7^th period until all students are dismissed

                                    **Tuesday and Thursday I hold my own detention for a half hour

3:45 – 5:00 = Almost Daily Faculty Meeting, Math Meeting or TST Meeting

5:05 – 5:20 = Arrive Home and play with Molly and talk to my wife

5:20 – 7:00 = Schoolwork/Lesson Plan/Call any parents I may need to

7:00 – 7:30 = Dinner with my wife

7:30 – 7:40 = My wife cooked dinner so I do the dishes during this time

7:40 – 8:30 = Go on a walk with my wife and Molly

8:30 – 8:40 = Give Molly a bath after she finds some mud to dig in

8:40 – 8:50 = Make Popcorn and Iced Coffee

8:50 – 9:40 = Watch an episode of Prison Break or 24

9:40 – 10:00 = Pack up and get ready for bed

10:00 = Go to bed

My MTC experience in Roomates

              I am so thankful for my MTC experience.  While it is incredibly enjoyable going to school now…it wasn’t always all roses from day one.  To contrast the two years I will use my first and second year roommate.

Year One Roommate: Chris Curran

         Coming down to Mississippi not knowing anyone or much in general about the state, teaching or the what the experience would actually be like.  Enter my roommate - Chris Curran.  Chris is a laid back genius who happened to be valedictorian at Florida and an avid Tim Tebow fan.  I could always count on him having the projector hooked up on Saturday, but him asking DOK 1 questions about any professional sport.  He is an incredibly hard worker and broke down teaching rough high poverty kids to a science.  By the end of his second year, he was voted the Mullins Award winner and Teacher of the Year at our school.  I studied how he taught and interacted in the classroom and with kids in the hallway to make my classroom a safe and silent environment where kids enjoyed learning.  I began my first year making a whole lot of ‘first year’ mistakes and then trying to hammer out classroom management procedures and consistently enforce them to make a carbon copy of Chris’ classroom.

Between my first and second year – Chris graduated MTC, got married and moved to Nashville to pursue a Doctorate at Vanderbilt.  I ‘chopped wood’ under the guidance of Hunter Taylor and also married my best friend before returning the delta rejuvenated for Round Two.

Year Two Roommate: My Wife – Jenny

         One thing I’ve always admired about Jenny is her intense love for at risk kids.  While she would be the first to say that she isn’t sure teaching in an inner city environment is the best for her, I envy the way she cares for kids she worked with at Pine Valley Bible Camp.  As a counselor, she built meaningful relationships with kids who were often abused, neglected and often felt unloved.  By the end of my first year I was starting to care for my students in that way, however, it was honestly difficult to when the occasional class would steamroll you when you were starting to feel like you were improving.  Since day one this year, my class is silent.  My diagnostic test scores are light years ahead of where they were this time last year and I am confident in my positive, respectful and silent environment that it is one of the best classrooms in the school, like Chris’ was.  At the same time I feel like I am truly loving all 105 of my students and teaching them valuable life lessons like not saying ‘shut up’ or hat their consequences (aka calling out) have consequences. 

All in all my MTC experience transformed from one of the most difficult experiences in my life to one of the most rewarding.

Joining MTC

Rather than go into a tiresome explanation of why you should or shouldn’t join MTC, I’ll make a similar argument with my own personal experiences and hopefully you will find this helpful.

Reason you SHOULD join MTC

• ·      You spend a majority of your time with kids
• ·      You don’t go to work on the weekends
• ·      There is 0 traffic in Mississippi
• ·      Student-Faculty Basketball Games
• ·      Student-Faculty Volleyball Games
• ·      Assemblies
• ·      Showing students the steps to get into college is incredibly rewarding
• ·      Helping to run a middle school dance on a Friday night sounds like a good time
• ·      If you work really hard, you see incredible changes in your students
• ·      Telling your students how well they did on the MCT2 rivals any other good feeling
• ·      You will become a better a teacher
• ·      You have a lot of energy
• ·      You have a strong work ethic
• ·      Quitting has never been an option
• ·      Your golf game may improve due to all the flat fields to practice
• ·      The support through MTC is unbeatable
• ·      You could picture yourself living in a 3^rd world country
• ·      Creating a school wide discipline policy sounds like something that may be fun
• ·      You can keep work when surrounded by inefficiency
• ·      You can thrive while being constantly tested by teenagers
• ·      You are HUMBLE

Reason you SHOULD NOT join MTC

• ·      You spend a majority of your time with kids
• ·      You have class every other weekend
• ·      You will likely feel isolated from friends and family
• ·      You are paid for 40 hours but work at least twice that
• ·      Quitting is EVER an option
• ·      You like to sleep in
• ·      You won’t have enough time to play golf
• ·      You are unsure you want to teach
• ·      You want to join something everyone knows about
• ·      You like to live around Target…or any other national chain outside of Wal-Mart and McDonald’s.
• ·      You like to tutor kids and figure that’s what teaching is like