Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Meat Market

I’m pretty sure that the original purpose of the Mississippi Teacher Corps is to help educate the underprivileged youth within the state. Because the kids are the focal point, I think recruiting should be focused on acquiring the best teachers that would impact their lives for two full years. Having seen and experienced how strenuous a job like this is, I think a participant has a huge advantage in already being familiar with southern culture. I think whenever someone is willing to step into a job that they have never done before and also move to an area of the world that they have never lived before there is going to be a lot of adjustment that has to take place for that person. I think the more adjustments that person has to make, the more it may take away from the students. Putting the focus on you takes the focus off of them.

Now, it is very hard to generalize when it comes to this issue, because I think some of the best teachers in the program are from the North. I just think that you’ll be more likely to maximize how much quality education the kids will get if you can cut down on the adjustment period for the teacher. When the teacher feels comfortable, I think he or she is more likely to make a difference. If you’re having a rough time adjusting and fitting in, then I think you are more likely to have wasted time in the classroom or on the field.

On the other hand, I think it is so interesting that a child from the Mississippi Delta can be taught by someone from Boston, Massachusetts. I’m sure that the person from Boston can influence that student culturally in a way that someone who is from the state of Mississippi cannot; so I can see both sides of the argument. I will say though that from my perspective it is more rewarding to the student to be taught by someone who can and will maximize their time for two years. I would recruit someone that wouldn’t take a long time to adjust to the culture.

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