Right now I’m sitting in a Chick-Fil-A in Oxford. We were dismissed about 30 minutes early from our afternoon class and I had to run a few errands, mostly teaching related but I figured I’d stop by my favorite Christian restaurant to enjoy a nice #1 meal with an upsized fry and Diet Dr. Pepper. My family is big on routines and one of the routines I’ve brought down to the south is going to Chick-Fil-A once a week for dinner. It’s nice to enjoy a chicken sandwich, read some and as Phil or Laura would do – reflect on everything that is going on. We were assigned to blog but were given no direction – a free 400 words to write about anything we want. So much of the focus on the program is on teaching…obviously…so I figured I would give the thousands of readers a glimpse at life outside the classroom.
It’s crazy that this time four weeks ago I was enjoying my last meal with my parents, my sister and her husband Ian. I feel like I’ve grown so much in this short time. Surprisingly one of the harder things about the program is the social aspect. During my four years at college I can honestly say I was never lonely, never drunk, never at a loss of fun things to do and never wanted a TV. My college experience was close to ideal. I was surrounded by incredibly encouraging Christians and didn’t realize how amazingly special that was until the last few days of school.
Coming down to Mississippi was quite the adjustment but my social life is slowly building back up. I doubt it will ever reach the 3rd floor Hopeman status of senior year but I genuinely enjoy the other corps members but like everything else it takes some time to adjust. Thankfully most of the other teachers like sports so there have been plenty of opportunities to play volleyball, Frisbee, basketball and even golf. I still run every night religiously at 7:20 just as the sun is setting on the campus of Ole Miss.
In addition I feel as though I’m becoming older because I typically go to bed at 9:45. Even when I was in college and had a full day of classes and two hours of track practice I still remember watching The Daily Show with John Stewart, which didn’t even start until 10pm. Anyway in case you were wondering, over the past four weeks the occasional feelings of loneliness creep in, I bought a TV but no – I haven’t had a drink. This is not to say that I am not enjoying my time in Mississippi. I absolutely love it. The opportunity to be on stage in front of 26 crazy 7th graders is an incredible high. The feeling I get when we go over problems as a class and the kids ask questions and I see that light bulb go on is a feeling that really can’t be beat. Overall my life in Mississippi is an adjustment and I am certainly enjoying the ride…
I can definitely relate to your feelings of becoming "older." As I was a college athlete as well, I thought that I was tired then, but there were many times I didn't go to sleep until 11:30-12:00. Now, I'm lucky if I can stay up after 9:30. I didn't have as much of an adjustment as you are having, being that I'm going on my 6th year in Oxford. But, just remember, that we are all here for you. This might be a stressful year, and even though I have friends in Oxford, there were many times that I felt alone, but I always knew I could count on the other corps members. Some of your best times this year is when you will have weekend classes, you will get to discuss all of your successes, failures, lack of sleep, whatever it may be. This year will be demanding, but you seem to have a positive attitude. Every time that you witness a student have the "lightbulb" moment, you will remember how awesome teaching really can be.
ReplyDeleteMr. Doar,
ReplyDeleteI really like that you're claiming to only eat Chick-Fil-A once a week.
ReplyDeleteHaha I agree with Mr. Berry - class over at 4:30 or so, running at 7:20, and then asleep by 9:45? How do you do it, Mr. Doar? Plus, you have had time to feel lonely? Wow. Speaking of "encouraging Christians," I always find your presence particularly encouraging, and I appreciate that you always have a smile and a kind word ready for everyone. -mg
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