28

-- Welcome to room B-204 --

Well two weeks down. 28 to go.

This week was one of my hardest weeks in Memphis. I was homesick and impatient and exhausted and overwhelmed. I felt down right needy.

That is a feeling I hate and I wanted to go away. And I wanted it to go away fast.

I fought this feeling as I sat in my Thursday night class. After a long week in the classroom and feeling like I have accomplished nothing with my students, we began talking about literacy. My class is called "Reading in the Content Area". If you are an educator, you have taken this class at one point or another. If you are an urban educator, you realize this could be one of the most important classes you will ever take.

One of my classmates Stu began asking our professor how to teach his 8th grade social studies students how to read and write. Why?

Because he is almost completely illiterate.

How do you make it to 8th grade and not know how to read and write? How do my 12th graders not know how to spell basic words? (and I mean BASIC).

If there is something that makes me angry this is it... this is way the system is so messed up. Teachers just let students slide by because they are too much of a problem and do not want to deal with them. And then they end up in 8th grade illiterate and 12th grade not being able to write a complete sentence.

My professor was giving us ideas on where to start. We literally had to go back and learn how to start from the beginning. Teaching our 8-12th graders patterns of reading and the alphabet.

As my professor was talking about all of this I sat there and all I could think of was a conversation I had just had with nephew the day before. He knows the ABC's. All of them. Every single one. Capitalized. Lower-Case.

He is 2.

It blows my mind how much of a difference it makes in what home-life you grow up in when it comes to your educational career.

I cannot make excuses for my students. No excuses. Have high expectations. There are NO EXCUSES for these students. If I let them slide, they will fall back into the exact same lifestyle they are trying to get out of.

Education and knowledge is the ONE thing no one can ever take away from them or you.

So 28 weeks to go.

I'm not saying that in a sense of a countdown. Trust me. 28 meaning, I have 28 weeks to push my students to mastery. To help them learn how to spell. To teach them how to write a good resume. To teach them how to give a good handshake. To love them. To serve them. To push them. To not make excuses. To not waste time.

28.

That's a small number, but a very capable one.


(Prayer Requests: patience, creativity, confidence, CONTENTMENT, passion, church family, small group, mentor, my students, room B-204, Whitehaven)

Danny and Kevin.

I have to do a journal after everyday for my MTR Coach. This is an excerpt from Wednesday, August 11th.
All names are changed.

Today was my first real teaching day in front of the students. There was so much going through my mind with each movement, question, response, and interaction with each student. Did I have enough wait time? Have I been standing in one spot too long? Why is this group reacting so much different than my last group? Did I tell them what to do or what not to do? How is my proximity? The list goes on and on. I am so grateful that I am a part of MTR and I can already implement so many things that I have learned so far in class. I have found the classes where I know the students names better, I have greater success in responses and interaction. I realize I need to really work hard on getting to know each one of their names and more about them as my students. I am so grateful to Mrs. Simpkins for allowing me to jump right it and help teach with so much. She has let me teach over half of the class each class period and trusts me with the students.

One of the neatest parts of the day was in homeroom this morning. Yesterday I saw a young man walking through the halls who was in my homeroom the day before. I stopped him and told him I missed him that morning in homeroom and asked him why he wasn't there. He said he just slept and did not feel like coming. I then asked him if he would be in homeroom the next day, because I really wanted to see him in the morning. He said "Yes ma'am" and started walking away. I then just shouted down the hallway, "Danny, you better keep that promise. I'll see you in the morning, have a great night." Guess who came walking down the hall this morning? Danny! He came to homeroom, sat down, looked incredibly disengaged and annoyed that he was there. Then when he left I told him thank you for coming and I look forward to seeing him tomorrow. I was so proud of him for keeping his word, something that is not held to such a high importance in today's society. I hope I see Danny tomorrow.

Another story is with one of my Art II students named Kevin. Kevin brought me his art portfolio today and was so excited for me to look at it and wanted feedback on his work. He smiled really big and was thrilled to be in class. He told me to just keep it and look over it during the day. I was so impressed that he trusted me with all his artwork and valued my opinion already.

Both of these stories are mainly to say that I have already seen growth in my students and it is just day three! There is so much potential in each one of them and I see a huge difference in the students that I have started building a relationship with rather than the ones that I do not have one with yet. I have to keep pushing myself to ask names and shake hands even if it seems uncomfortable or annoying at times.

Lately I have been praying that every interaction with students and co-workers would be done with the compassion of Jesus Christ. The Lord is so faithful in reminding me of that in my moments of impatience, selfishness or frustration. For example, I found out today I am suppose to do lunch duty. I was not too excited about this in all honesty. As I walked in I saw the administrators looking stressed out and overwhelmed. I thought of my Dad (who is a principal of a large Urban High School) and realized I can do so much to help them out in this short 20 minutes I am required to be in the cafeteria each day. When I left I noticed a lot of trash on the floors and tables and was humbled in picking up each piece. Wow, the Lord reminded me that every interaction with someone is huge; whether that is a face-to-face interaction or an across the cafeteria glance. EVERYTHING I do must be in HIS name and for HIS glory, not my own. No matter how big or how small that task or service is. I am strangely excited about lunch duty now; hoping that my service will be a light to my administrators and hopefully at least alleviate some of their stress for the day.

Just another day at the Haven....

First few days....

It's official. I'm a Urban Educator.

I am sitting in a coffee shop GULPING down some wonderful coffee. I only allow myself to have it once or twice a week so I don't get addicted, don't worry. Working on all my master's coursework and need to focus, but thought I deserved a break so I'm on here.

There is SO much from this week already. Mainly this:

You know you are in MCS when your students ask you if you are German or Canadian because you are white and NOT from the South.

Alright that's enough for today :)
There is so much to say, but I have to get back to studying.

The photo above is of KIPP DIAMOND Academy here in Memphis.
It is a charter school that is really pushing academic achievement and succeeding in incredible ways. We have 7 residents doing their internship their this year.