Since I was young my family has taught me the importance of hard work. Whether it be studying for the SAT, looking for an internship or now – writing lesson plans for a 7th grade math class I do the best job I can. When I found out I was accepted in the Mississippi Teacher Corps a few months ago I researched and found the three books covered during summer school – The Reluctant Disciplinarian, The First Days of School and Delta Autumn. Teaching in a critical needs school after never teaching a lesson before in my life is decently nerve racking and I figured reading these books would calm my anxieties. That day I found the first two books on half.com for less than a Big Mac and quickly read through them. They were both incredibly helpful but my personal library was still missing Delta Autumn (I admit…I’m a nerd). Finally during our first official day of MTC Dr. Mullins gave us our own copy of Delta Autumn.
The book is incredibly helpful for any teacher but it was written specifically for first year teachers in the Mississippi Delta. Coming from a rural Christian school I felt as though my experiences with a McDonalds, Wal-Mart and a few other amenities would be similar to life in the delta. Was I wrong…the delta is packed with a unique history and the beginning of Delta Autumn painted the picture from the Fourteenth Amendment being passed in 1868 to the inaugural placement of TFA teachers in the delta in 1993. Mississippi continues to have issues with racial reconciliation but great strides have been made to facilitate discussion among various side.
Another aspect of Delta Autumn I found particularly helpful was the laundry list of things to know. My sister is an auditor at a large accounting firm and I can only imagine that a lot of what she does is listed is a procedure somewhere or she is even mandated by accounting laws to do __________ when she encounters __________. What almost every experienced teacher says is that there are relatively few procedures to follow when teaching. There are so many on the spot judgment calls that must be made in the classroom. Despite a lack of procedures there are certain tips and resources that can be extremely valuable to first year teachers. Knowing where the office or cafeteria are, who the counselor is, how to take attendance or pass out papers are things that few first years realize are important until its staring them in the face.
Overall Delta Autumn was an excellent book and I believe copies should be passed out to every teacher in the delta.
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