In a nut shell

This photo comes from our weekly speaker series - here listening to Dr. Germain McConnell.  Early Tuesday morning, Larissa and I arrived at Guyton Hall to begin our days work.  We found the building eerily empty, warmer than usual, and rather dark.  It didn't occur to either of us that the power might.   Ben was no where to be found.  Sure enough, the power was out for the entire campus for much of the day.  The outage occurred as a result of a cooling failure on one of the transformer fans in the Rebel substation, we later learned.  The outage made for dreadfully hot, "character building" cycling class later that afternoon in gym without air conditioning.  When the heat index hovers consistently around 105 degrees, it made for a hot afternoon.

On the whole, however, things ran pretty smoothly this week.  Monday night was 'spa night', hosted by Team Teacher Danielle Hall.  Two generous ladies from a local spa donated their time and services to a dozen or so exhausted teachers (and interns).  It was a relaxing start to the week.  Even some guys showed up to get their lips exfoliated and scalps massaged.  

Tuesday morning, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Dr. McConnell - Director of Field Experiences, Co-Director of the Mississippi Teacher Corps, Assistant Dean, and Assistant Professor of Leadership and Counselor Education.  He cracked us all up with stories from his undergraduate years at Ole Miss and also spoke about his life's work in education and as a Minister.   After the conversation, Ben treated us all to lunch at my new favorite place in Oxford, Honeybee Bakery .  We sat outside in the blazing sun sipping iced Moroccan mint tea while Ben gave us a little lesson on tax history and the funding of public education.  We discussed ideas about how to increase prosperity of the poorest families living in the Delta. 

White flight from public education (yes, I am guilty here) leads to a case of moral hazard, especially here in Mississippi.  And, you don't have to just read it to believe it.  At the Holy Springs summer school - held at the town's high school - all you have to do is look at the portraits on the walls of the graduating classes.  After about 1970, the population of white students, previously making up a good percentage, has continued to dwindle down to maybe one student in the graduating class of 2010.  The white children are surely vacating the public schools for private education.

In the flush town of Oxford, Mississippi - Lafayette County - the desperate scramble for enrollment in prestigious private schools does not apply.  Parents here generally think highly of their local public schools, as we learned from Mr. & Mrs. Barksdale.  Though I haven't done my research, I bet in this economy that the nearby private schools have some empty seats and turn away relatively few students.

Still, I know that in my own hometown of Portland, Maine, the well known private schools - Waynflete, North Yarmouth Academy, Thorton Academy, Chevrus, McCaully, Breakwater School, to name a few - survive on the qualities that set them apart from public schools: small classes, flexible curriculum, sophisticated courses, and a bit of freedom.  The differences are so clearly understood that they are rarely made note of.

But I can't help but notice, the Oxford University School has been advertising in local newspapers — a departure, in itself, for many private schools — with a pitch subtly pointing out that at a time when the nation's public schools are cutting back and consolidating, private schools are not.

The advertisements come at a time of paradoxes.  The recession that has prompted public schools to trim programs and increase class sizes, making private school more appealing, has also left parents less able to come up with the $25,000 to $30,000 a year charged by many independent day schools. And for private schools, taking advantage of the perceived vulnerability of public schools is a chance to shore up their own battered finances.

It is all still a bit confusing to me, there are a lot of unanswered questions.  But, this internship has certainly given me the opportunity to reflect on my own primary education.  If I could do it over again, would I go somewhere else, public school even?  I wouldn't.  If I could give the gift of  Waynflete to every student in this country, I would.  As I see it, the only way I think I could come anywhere close to that goal would be to go into education myself and invest in a most desperate and failing system - the nation's public schools.  

What's in store for the weekend: Saturday, a trip to Greenwood & Money, Mississippi with Ben and Ashley Johnson, another Team Teacher.  We will go to the very shop where Emmitt Till evidently wolf whistled at the shop keeper's wife, which ultimately lead to his brutal murder. I am excited for this trip, especially after watching three installments of the Eyes on the Prize documentary series covering Emmett Till, James Meredith, and Medgar Evers.  Sunday, I may finally get to sleep in past 5:30 am.  I have dark circile under my eyes, though I still shoot out of bed at each morning not wanting to miss any of this great adventure.  Until next week...