Ever since I started TFA I have been swept up into a whirlwind of business. I constantly go go go go go go.
It's been TOUGH...to say the least. I have never experienced anything so challenging in my life ( yes..it’s even more challenging then traveling and living in Addis, Ethiopia for 6th months!). I'm constantly being pushed and challenged to do better...to be a better teacher...and I constantly feel like I suck at what I do...which is actually a common mentality between many of us "TFAers."
So with that being said.. I'm gonna be completely honest and say...it's hard. It's one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. Like I said, I constantly am being pushed to do better...and I constantly feel like I'm not doing good enough. I work more than I ever have..I feel like I even work when I'm sleeping sometimes. My days consist of waking up at 5:30 am...going to school...I don't have a break all day (except to RUN to the bathroom during lunch..cause I have to eat with my students)..I don't get home until 4:30 or 5:30 pm...and then I have to lesson plan and prepare for the next day. I lesson plan until I go to bed…and then it starts all over again. My weekends even consist of me planning for the next week. On top of all of that... It's HARD to be in a new area...make new friends...learn a COMPLETELY new culture...and strive to be a good enough teacher to make significant gains and impact in the student’s lives…all at the same time. I have never had to be more organized...put together...responsible...and on top of things as I have this year as a teacher. I don't think I know anyone who wouldn't say it is the MOST challenging thing they have done yet...
BUT despite that...despite the exhaustion...the feeling of constantly being overworked...the emotional challenges of living in a new area, adjusting to a new culture, being a new teacher...etc. this job is SO rewarding. It’s the little things...coming to school and having students huddled around your desk in the morning to say hi and ask me what I have planned for class today…or hearing a student walk down the hall humming the math song I just taught them. Or it is when a student who has been struggling in math, masters their first test. Or it’s when you tell a student, who has been working hard in your class, "good job" and their face lights up. That's what spurs me on each day...that's why I do what I do...despite all the hardships and countless hours of work. The students make it alllll worth it.
HONESLTY..it’s all about the students...they are why I came here to begin with…and they are what’s keeping me here. I love my students more than I thought possible. YES- even when they don't listen to me...or when they give me headaches...or constantly talk...or fight in my classroom...or don't walk in straight lines...haha..I still love them…and I believe that they DESERVE to receive a good education- they deserve to have people in their lives that tell them that they can do it…that believe in them and love them. They deserve an education that pushes them and guides them to success.
Pray for my students…pray for the students in the Delta. There is hope for them to have a bright future...pray that they will be empowered to make the right decisions and to be guided to the right path…pray that their teachers won’t fail them…and that they will be pushed to do their best and succeed in school. Pray for their families…many have rough situations. The families here are stuck in a cruel and rough cycle of poverty…and education is one of their only hopes of breaking out of that cycle. And yet the cycle of poverty is even affecting the educational system…continuing to keep the students within it’s trap…continuing to discourage…keep them behind…take away opportunities and experiences…and destroy their hope for the future.
And as hopeless and scary as that sounds, I’m here to say...there is still hope. Despite the cycle of poverty…and educational inequality that is a definite reality within the delta…I still see hope- when every day I go to school and I see teachers who CARE about these students. I see my principle working HARD to make changes. I see parents who are reaching out, wanting their students to succeed, I see students working hard and trying their best to beat the odds that are stacked against them. I see hope…even when many say it’s hopeless.
With prayer and actions..change can and will occur. I have hope for my babies..and for the students in the Delta…keep praying…keep supporting…keep loving….change will come in individual lives..and in the bigger picture..there is hope.
(ALSO on a side note- I have been SO blessed to have found amazing friends
here. I have a great roommate who I enjoy coming home to everyday. I don’t know what I would do without her. And I have found a really legit group of friends down here. We encourage each other and hold each other up. I would NOT be able to get through this without them. )
Thank you ALL for your love, support, and prayers. I couldn’t do this without you.
MUCH LOVE,
dana
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
my experience thus far...
Hello friends and family!
So I'm DONE with institute. I am now moved in and ALMOST settled into a 2 bedroom, 1 bath triplex in Greenwood, MS. I'm teaching 6th grade Math at Threadgill elementary. The students come Aug. 6th...so not much longer until I'm officially a teacher!
Since I've have already had SUCH an experience living here in Greenwood, MS- some friends and I put together something to describe our experience thus far....enjoy!
You know you are in Greenwood, Mississippi when…
-you get invited to 4 churches in one day
-you see a tractor drive through town
-you can order frog legs for dinner
-you hear Christian music playing…everywhere
-you try and order catfish and they say it’s “sold out”
-your landlord becomes your “mom figure”
-your banker gives you personal advice
- 90 degrees with 80 percent humidity starts to feel comfortable
-the mosquitoes LIKE insect repellent..and are bigger than your hand
-you have to finish your shopping by 5:00pm because everything closes…expect for Wal-Mart
- everyone you meet makes sure you are living in the “right” (white) part of town
-Wal-Mart becomes your best friend
-you have a constant shine of sweat on your body
-there are more churches then grocery stores
-the streets are named after Presidents…and one is Jefferson Davis
-you have to drive an hour to get to the nearest movie theater
-you have to have your house sprayed for cockroaches
-your glasses fog up when you go outside
-you pay $500 a month for a 2 bedroom house
-strangers ask you where your accent is from
-you feel rude if you say “thank you” without adding “ma’am” or “sir”
-you are excited to see JC penny
-you get seated on the “white” or “black” side of a restaurant
-strangers know you are doing Teach America before you even tell them
-it takes you 5 minutes to get across town
-the manager at the local bowling alley says, “come on hunny put your baadoonkkaa ddooonnkkk into it!” over the loud speaker
-as a first year teacher you are making double the median salary of MS
- the clerk from Big Lots offers to deliver your furniture when he gets off work
-you go outside and hear the sound of 100 dying cats…then realize it’s just the katydids
-the only radio stations are country or Christian…
-your cable guy gets upset when you watch BET
-you have to drive 2 ½ hours to Memphis, Tennessee to go to Starbucks
-squished bugs become a permanent car decoration
Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement, and support. I appreciate all of you so much!
much love,
Dana
So I'm DONE with institute. I am now moved in and ALMOST settled into a 2 bedroom, 1 bath triplex in Greenwood, MS. I'm teaching 6th grade Math at Threadgill elementary. The students come Aug. 6th...so not much longer until I'm officially a teacher!
Since I've have already had SUCH an experience living here in Greenwood, MS- some friends and I put together something to describe our experience thus far....enjoy!
You know you are in Greenwood, Mississippi when…
-you get invited to 4 churches in one day
-you see a tractor drive through town
-you can order frog legs for dinner
-you hear Christian music playing…everywhere
-you try and order catfish and they say it’s “sold out”
-your landlord becomes your “mom figure”
-your banker gives you personal advice
- 90 degrees with 80 percent humidity starts to feel comfortable
-the mosquitoes LIKE insect repellent..and are bigger than your hand
-you have to finish your shopping by 5:00pm because everything closes…expect for Wal-Mart
- everyone you meet makes sure you are living in the “right” (white) part of town
-Wal-Mart becomes your best friend
-you have a constant shine of sweat on your body
-there are more churches then grocery stores
-the streets are named after Presidents…and one is Jefferson Davis
-you have to drive an hour to get to the nearest movie theater
-you have to have your house sprayed for cockroaches
-your glasses fog up when you go outside
-you pay $500 a month for a 2 bedroom house
-strangers ask you where your accent is from
-you feel rude if you say “thank you” without adding “ma’am” or “sir”
-you are excited to see JC penny
-you get seated on the “white” or “black” side of a restaurant
-strangers know you are doing Teach America before you even tell them
-it takes you 5 minutes to get across town
-the manager at the local bowling alley says, “come on hunny put your baadoonkkaa ddooonnkkk into it!” over the loud speaker
-as a first year teacher you are making double the median salary of MS
- the clerk from Big Lots offers to deliver your furniture when he gets off work
-you go outside and hear the sound of 100 dying cats…then realize it’s just the katydids
-the only radio stations are country or Christian…
-your cable guy gets upset when you watch BET
-you have to drive 2 ½ hours to Memphis, Tennessee to go to Starbucks
-squished bugs become a permanent car decoration
Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement, and support. I appreciate all of you so much!
much love,
Dana
Monday, May 18, 2009
New Adventure...
Well it has been about 6 months since I returned from my challenging and life changing adventure in Ethiopia. Despite some difficult experiences while I was there, I still have moments where I miss Ethiopia a lot. I fell in love with the culture and made some really close and dear friends. Someday I’ll go back and visit them. Ethiopia is a beautiful country with a RICH and DEEP culture and history. If anyone is looking for an adventure, I recommend traveling to Ethiopia, especially if you spend most of your time in the rural areas of the North and the South. The North has a RICH history. It is said that the Ten Commandments are located in Axum, where a monk guards them. I didn’t get time to travel to the North, so when I go back that is the SECOND thing on my list of things to do- the first thing is to go to Addis and visit all of my friends. : )
Anyways, that is a chapter in my life that is closed, but will hopefully be re-visited in the future. Now I am moving on to another chapter…MISSISSIPPI! I got accepted to Teach For America (if you are interested in learning more about TFA, here is the link- http://teachforamerica.org/ ).
Schedule: I will fly down to Mississippi June 4th. I will be in Mississippi for 4 or 5 days of induction, where I will learn about the culture and demographics and need in Mississippi. I will also get a chance to interview with 3 or 4 principles, with the hope of being offered a job. I got accepted to TFA as an elementary teacher, but I still have to get hired by a school. (TFA facilitates it, and everyone who was accepted is pretty much guaranteed to get hired…) After the 5 days in Mississippi, I will caravan over to Houston, Texas where I will live for 5 weeks and have INTENSIVE training- with the goal of receiving my emergency credentials at the end of training. Once training is over, I will caravan BACK to Mississippi…by then I will know exactly what district and grade level I will be teaching. I will meet my parents in MI (they are going to bring my car down with all of my stuff) and I will have about two weeks to find a place to move into before school STARTS!
Sounds crazy, I know. I’m really praying I’ll make some quality friends during institute that will be able to be roommates! Anyways, right now I’m in Seattle preparing for this adventure. I have a LOT of reading to do as well as some classroom visits. Honestly I don’t know what to expect AT ALL. I’m going with an open mind and heart, and a willing spirit. I’m a little nervous about getting through the intensive training in Houston and finding quality people to be able to live with. There are a lot of unknowns. Right now all I can do is move forward and trust God to guide.
I would appreciate your prayers and encouragement as I begin this new and exciting chapter in my life. I hear that the first year of teaching is pretty difficult, so I ask for your love and support in this next year. I feel so blessed that I have such a loving and supportive community that I can depend on. Thank you so much.
Much love,
Dana
Anyways, that is a chapter in my life that is closed, but will hopefully be re-visited in the future. Now I am moving on to another chapter…MISSISSIPPI! I got accepted to Teach For America (if you are interested in learning more about TFA, here is the link- http://teachforamerica.org/ ).
Schedule: I will fly down to Mississippi June 4th. I will be in Mississippi for 4 or 5 days of induction, where I will learn about the culture and demographics and need in Mississippi. I will also get a chance to interview with 3 or 4 principles, with the hope of being offered a job. I got accepted to TFA as an elementary teacher, but I still have to get hired by a school. (TFA facilitates it, and everyone who was accepted is pretty much guaranteed to get hired…) After the 5 days in Mississippi, I will caravan over to Houston, Texas where I will live for 5 weeks and have INTENSIVE training- with the goal of receiving my emergency credentials at the end of training. Once training is over, I will caravan BACK to Mississippi…by then I will know exactly what district and grade level I will be teaching. I will meet my parents in MI (they are going to bring my car down with all of my stuff) and I will have about two weeks to find a place to move into before school STARTS!
Sounds crazy, I know. I’m really praying I’ll make some quality friends during institute that will be able to be roommates! Anyways, right now I’m in Seattle preparing for this adventure. I have a LOT of reading to do as well as some classroom visits. Honestly I don’t know what to expect AT ALL. I’m going with an open mind and heart, and a willing spirit. I’m a little nervous about getting through the intensive training in Houston and finding quality people to be able to live with. There are a lot of unknowns. Right now all I can do is move forward and trust God to guide.
I would appreciate your prayers and encouragement as I begin this new and exciting chapter in my life. I hear that the first year of teaching is pretty difficult, so I ask for your love and support in this next year. I feel so blessed that I have such a loving and supportive community that I can depend on. Thank you so much.
Much love,
Dana
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