TFA Institute: Life in the Mississippi Delta

Now that I have a spare moment to breathe in between teaching classes, attending sessions, going to the lake, and enjoying happy hour at Hey Joes, I'm finally getting to catch everyone up on what life has been like for me lately. I've spent the past 3 weeks in Cleveland, Mississippi at Teach For America Institute, which is our summer training. Institute is training through direct experience with teaching. Every day, I go to Matty Akin Elementary in Greenville, MS and teach a class of entering 1st graders who have absolutely stolen my heart, but also challenged me greatly. I've had lessons that have flopped, homework assigned that I never saw again, I've been spat on, and many other things... Come to Baton Rouge in August and I'll give you all the details over a beer. Most importantly, I've learned A LOT... First, that my kids won't respect me if I don't respect them first. One on one conversations can work wonders. Making a lesson fun and engaging is the most effective behavior management tool. Progress doesn't happen over night, but it DOES happen. All of this became extremely worth it to me when yesterday I saw one student (who was labeled a "non-reader" on our beginning-of-summer reading diagnostic) read the title of a book I laid in front of him. I literally had to choke back tears when I realized our small-group reading had progressed him from a non-reader to a reader over a 2 week period.

Although most of my time involves being in the classroom, writing lesson plans or working on things for my classroom, or attending professional development to make my classroom better, I've gotten to know A LOT of people in TFA from all over the country that now feel like people I've known for years. And the best part is that we have all come together for the same reason. It's incredible to meet these brave people who have left their friends and family and uprooted themselves to come serve children who deserve a quality education. There's Julianne (a fellow South Louisiana teacher) from New Jersey who is here because she knows she can give all of her special education students what they need to succeed, despite where they come from. There's Katie (who will teach right here in the MS Delta) from New York who is here because her heart of gold yearns to help young people around her have a great education. There is Stephanie (fellow SLA) from Italy via California via Nebraska who is here because she selflessly knows that there are problems in the American education system that are more important than continuing her beautiful life abroad. There is Emily (my summer adviser and former Arkansas teacher) from South Carolina who has fallen in love with teaching children in rural Arkansas and will attend the Clinton School of Public Policy to further her education about these children she so fiercely wants to work with. The people here are AMAZING. They have realized that our education system is broken. They know that they can't simply come in and save the day, but they can give back to individual students, then classrooms, then schools, then school systems, and ONE DAY... every child in America.

I'd also like to point out that I'm in one of the most historical and culturally rich places in the United States, and I've really enjoyed getting to see some of it. Some highlights: eating catfish and drinking beer on the quad of Delta State University, talking to the community members who so generously donated their food, drinks, and time to show us some southern hospitality. Spending Friday night at Po' Monkey's Juke Joint in Merigold, a 1-room house in between rows of cotton, singing along with the gospel band as they jammed Led Zeppelin. Swimming and catching rays at Grenada Lake, making me almost forget about the million lesson plans I'll have to work on tomorrow. The Delta is a place where the people's kindness makes you (almost) forget about the killer mosquitoes and hellish weather.

On a VERY happy note, I just signed and sent my lease to my new landlord for my house in Louisiana! I am living in Baton Rouge's oldest and most historic neighborhood, Spanish Town. Spanish Town is a neighborhood downtown that claims the city's largest Mardi Gras parade and an eclectic culture (Houston friends - think The Heights). My house was built in 1910 and is painted bright colors and has amazingggg front and back porches, probably my favorite part of the house. It is also within walking distance to the grocery store, farmers market, public library, state capitol and capitol park. I absolutely cannot wait to move into this wonderful home and be a part of a neighborhood with such a vibrant history.

2 more weeks left of Institute - LETS DO THIS!

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Cajun State of Mind

WOW! I just finished Induction week into Teach For America here in Baton Rouge and I can honestly say it was one of the best weeks of my life. As I write this, I'm sitting in a dorm room of West Hall on the LSU campus. I am already totally in love with Baton Rouge and all the people I have met so far.

Arriving here on Tuesday was scary, exciting, hot hot hot (90s), and amazing. Teach For America hosted a dinner for us at the Louisiana State Museum in downtown Baton Rouge to welcome us to the city. We got to hear from some very talented students in the South Louisiana school systems - very inspiring. I also got to meet a TON of new people that night, including my amazing small group for the week: Leigh Phillips (a fellow Delta Gamma!), Stephanie Marino, and Donovan Propst. I met people from Washington, New Jersey, California, Italy, Mexico, and anywhere else you can think of! From the first night, I felt totally welcome here.

On Wednesday we got to go out into the town and do some community service. My group went to Thrive Baton Rouge, a charter boarding school in East Baton Rouge founded by TFA Alumna Sarah Broome. It was completely amazing to see how she has literally built a school from the ground up where at-risk kids are succeeding in multiple capacities. We helped paint, move mattresses, and get our hands dirty in all kinds of stuff at Thrive.

I got to take a visit down to Donaldsonville and visit the school I will be teaching at, Lowery Elementary! This week, I discovered that there is a huge portion of our corps teaching in Donaldsonville, and several at my school, and even in my grade. We made a trip down there and got to roam the halls, talk to employees, peak our heads in the summer school classes, and get a feel for the school. We also drove around many parts of Donaldsonville. The striking differences between the huge mansions on acreage and the tiny houses squished together just blocks away confirmed why I was brought to the community. Donaldsonville is a place where there is poverty lurking behind every corner, including the corners of large nice houses. We also got the chance to eat at First and Last Chance Cafe in Downtown Donaldsonville and I enjoyed an awesome shrimp po-boy.

Future teachers of Lowery Elementary and Middle Schools

Last night was our closing dinner at Boudreax's, an awesome restaurant in Baton Rouge. I got to be a speaker at the dinner, along with two other amazing corps members, Kim and Aaron, along with other inspirational people, including Sarah Broome, founder of Thrive, who I mentioned earlier. This closing dinner was especially inspirational to me, getting to hear the voices of fellow corps members, chat with community members and supporters of Teach For America, and overall feeling the South Louisiana love of everyone around me. It's amazing how the week brought us so close together in such a short amount of time. I KNOW we are going to do great things in this region and ultimately reach our goal of giving EVERY kid the chance at an amazing education. After meeting everyone and seeing how great this community is, I am certain this is a goal we can achieve.

Leigh, me, and Julianne celebrating the end of Induction

Tomorrow, we head to Cleveland, Mississippi for Institute, where we will be teaching at summer schools throughout the Mississippi Delta. I can't wait to see what that is like since I honestly have no idea what to expect. The only thing I can hope for is an equally amazing experience to the one I just had in Baton Rouge!

Rocky Mountain High

I am officially off my Rocky Mountain high (and quite depressed about it). I took a 12 day vacation to New Mexico and Colorado with my parents and Alex and we had a BLAST! I'm going to highlight each of the places we went...

Taos, New Mexico

Taos, NM is an absolutely awesome, funky hippie town in the Rocky Mountains in northern New Mexico. The house we rented had a killer view and we heard coyotes at night. The amount of hiking we tried to squeeze in to the few days we were there was crazy.

Williams Lake

The first hike we went on was called Williams Lake. It is one of the most popular hikes of Taos and we were told the snow would be packed in enough that we could get up to the lake without any problems. It was our first day hiking in Taos and the lack of oxygen and 3 ft snow was tough, but we made it! The lake is at an elevation of about 11,000 and it was somewhat frozen over when we got there - the consistency of a Sonic slushy. We had lunch up there and saw a jack rabbit, chipmunks, and TONS of marmots (which I am very fond of).

Rio Grande Gorge

The Rio Grande river is just a few miles from the town of Taos, so we went to check it out. There was a short hike through the gorge down to Manby Hot Springs - but we didn't know the hot springs were clothing optional when we started the hike! The hot springs were just warm enough to soak in (in our swim suits) and the view at the river bank was great. On our way back up the gorge, we caught this awesome view of the Rio Grande and even saw a herd of big horn sheep across the river. We watched them graze and ram horns for a long time. Clearly, it was an eventful hike.

Crested Butte, Colorado

Last year, the 4 of us went to Ridgway, Telluride, and Ouray, CO and absolutely fell in love with the area. We decided to try somewhere new this year, and surprise, surprise - we fell in love with it. Crested Butte, CO is a GORGEOUS town with so much to do and the nicest locals around. We went during low season (between ski season and wildflower season), so the town was also really quiet and sleepy, giving us the perfect opportunity to make it ours - and did we ever.

Horseback Riding

One day, Alex and I went horseback riding through the mountains. We actually had to go to a lower elevation to ride the horses so we wouldn't run into snow. Because of the lower elevation, we saw plenty of wildflowers on the trail! We also caught an awesome view of the San Juan Mountains and had a run in with a couple of herds of mule deer. If you are ever in the area, I definitely recommend you take a horseback ride with Chuck at Fantasy Ranch Outfitters. We had a great time!

Our Wonderful House/Lake

One of my favorite things about Crested Butte was the house we stayed at. In the picture above, you can see our house towards the bottom of the picture in the center, looking out over that lake, Nicholson Lake. My parents took this picture on the Lupine Trail hike they did that went behind our house and offered this killer view of Crested Butte. The house is outside of town and a bit more secluded. We ended up cooking dinner in at the house more nights than we went out because the house and it's view of the lake and mountains were so stunning. And there were plenty of marmots running around the neighborhood, which I loved. All I know is this: I have never enjoyed sitting on the porch enjoying a cup of coffee more than I did at this house!

Judd Falls Trail

If you drive a few miles north of Crested Butte's ski area, you come to a tiny tiny town called Gothic (that isn't even accessible during the winter time). A local had told us about some good hikes up there, so we went to hike Judd Falls Trail. It ended up being one of our favorite hikes! Early into the hike, we stumbled up (literally, we just walked right up to him) this guy - a beautiful red fox! He was standing no more than 20 yards from us - hence the amazing picture. We didn't know how to react because we have heard foxes are incredibly scared of people. Much to our surprise, the little dude hung around and just looked at us curiously for a couple of minutes. Then, he (slowly) walked off like it was no big deal! My mom later called him our "Angel Fox" because of how long he hung around with us. Not only was the fox amazing, but Judd Falls, the waterfall we came to, was also incredible. This hike was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me and gave us a wonderful view of Gothic Mountain.

Ouray, Colorado

Since we enjoyed Ouray so much last summer, we knew we had to go back. Unlike Crested Butte and Telluride, Ouray is not a ski town, rather an old mining town that has more of a country western feel and a famous ice park that brings people with their ice picks every winter. We discovered it also has some of the coolest hiking in Colorado.

Staying in Ouray

We stayed at the China Clipper Inn, a Bed and Breakfast right off of Main Street in Ouray. We loved it! The view from our window was wonderful and the hot, homeade breakfasts were amazing. Also, our host Ingrid was very hospitable and gave us great restaurant recommendations. Our favorite restaurant in Ouray turned out to be one of her recommendations, Bon Ton. Bon Ton was a hidden gem - literally! It is an Italian restaurant in a hotel cellar that had AMAZING food. Alex had all you can eat pasta and all of it was insanely delicious with a great atmosphere.

Old Horsethief Trail

Again, the Ouray hiking didn't disappoint. We hiked Old Horsethief Trail, one that starts just north of town. We have come to realize that since Ouray is nestled in a tiny area between a ton of mountains, on all the hikes that lead out of town, the only place to go is up! On Old Horsethief, we gained a ton of elevation and received awesome views in multiple directions. The picture above is a view over downtown Ouray with Whitehouse Mountain as the backdrop. The view got cooler and cooler as we got higher. Icing my feet in the Uncompahgre River afterwards was just an added bonus!

Telluride, Colorado

Although we didn't stay overnight in Telluride, we made a day trip there because we love it so much. The Mountain Film Festival was taking place while we were there, so it was fun to see that going on. We walked the shops of downtown Telluride, enjoyed coffee overlooking Bridal Veil Falls, and took the gondola up the mountain for a fancy dinner. We also got to see a herd of elk on the outskirts of town - one animal we hadn't seen on the trip yet!

Allred's

Allred's is a restaurant in Telluride on the summit of the ski mountain. The only way to get there (besides walking) is by the gondola that takes you up the mountain. We discovered Allred's last summer and have been dying to come back. We got there the minute it opened because we wanted to get the best window seat possible and, judging by the picture I took, I think we did! We sipped on red wine and Moscow Mules while looking at this view over the town of Telluride with snow-capped mountains in the background. It was probably one of the most perfect evenings of the trip!

Hopefully it's easy to see why I love the Rocky Mountains so much! We had a great time and are ALREADY planning our trip back!