My MTC experience is not typical of other MTC alumni. I came into the program as an established member of the Delta community. I was going to enter my classroom not having to worry about housing, roommates, the culture of the Delta, or who my new coworkers were going to be because my wife had already been at the school for three years. The biggest challenge that I faced in my first year of teaching was judgments made about me by my principal before I ever stepped into the classroom. I had an interview at my wife’s school when I learned that I was accepted into Teacher Corp. During my interview lesson I made a reference to the game “Monkey in the Middle.” At the time I thought nothing of it. It was not until the end of the first nine weeks at school during my first year that the principal asked if I was racist. She asked if I ever called the kids monkeys or used the term Monkey in the Middle around the kids. I was in shock, at the time I had no idea what she was talking about. She informed me that I had complaints against me for being a racist and that the term “Monkey” is a derogatory term against African Americans. I then told her it was a game that I learned in elementary school, a school that was over 95% African American. There was nothing that I could say that day to make the situation any better. My Principal had already written me off for the year even before I stepped onto the campus. The first year was rough, not management wise, but in every other aspect. The kids felt as if I hated them, the principal thought I was racist, I knew my subject matter but I really didn’t know it, my lessons were terrible, and I did not feel as if I belonged in the school. Did I mention that I also paddled two kids that year? That was a surreal experience.

The second summer of Mississippi Teacher Corp was ten times better than the first summer. Not only was it a month shorter but the fellowship among the Corp was a welcome change to the disjointedness of my school. My school has only ten teachers. We are so close to becoming an ideal school yet so far from it because of lack of cohesiveness and differing standards when it comes to learning and the kids. The Holly Springs experience showed what a functioning school could be.

By far the most rewarding experiences of my Teacher Corp career have come in the second year. The Ole Miss Coursework became more manageable because I finally learned how to use my time more effectively. I coached football for the first time and the experience was eye opening. It was amazing to see kids actively disobey, get kicked off the team, then have their moms or grandmas plead to the Athletic director and or principal to get the kid back on the team when they did not want to be on the team to begin with. Furthermore the boys believed if they showed up to a game they would win. They honestly believe that wins will be handed to you. It is amazing to see how handouts kill the idea of a strong work ethic. Coaching also turned me into a man who was seen as a racist to someone who is an accepted member of the school. Just as the football season ended hunting season began. Last year I never went hunting after school. I cannot remember why not. This year, if the weather was cooperating, I was in the woods everyday after school. It was great. Each day I had a new hunting story to share in class; many students could not wait to hear the successes and failures of my adventures. I was able to share a piece of myself with them.

This spring semester brought on the challenge of working with the Technology Student Association. My role was to work with a few boys to help them build balsa wood gliders and dragsters. At times it was tedious but overall I was able to bond with some boys who I would otherwise not have the chance to interact with on a one on one basis.

Without going through Mississippi Teacher Corp I would not be able to truly understand what generational poverty is. Last year when a kid would clown in class I had no sympathy. Now that I know my kids a hundred times better, when they do clown I can actually find out what is going on inside of them. Most times the problems stem from something that is associated with poverty. Problems ranging from being grown, shame of dirty clothes and or body, shame of family reputation, sexual exploration and or promiscuity, and to something as simple as constant paranoia of being picked on. Poverty is a depilating illness with no easy solution.