Teaching in a Pandemic Reflection Series (Meridian, MS)
Hanna Nightingale, Jack Sullivan, & Breanna Hall
The following is from an interview with Hanna Nightingale, Jack Sullivan, and Breanna Hall. All three entered MTC together in 2019, and all three are currently teaching in Meridian, MS.
WHAT DREW EACH OF YOU TO JOIN THE MISSISSIPPI TEACHER CORPS?
Jack: Two things - first of all, I wanted to be a teacher. Second thing, I liked the fact that it was the cohort model where I would have peers in the exact same situation I was in and go through the program together. I’m very glad that it’s like that, because I can tell you in my second year I not only know them but I’m very much friends with them as well.
Hanna: Similarly, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. Coming off my Fulbright year, I knew I wanted to still teach and started researching alt-route programs. What drew me to MTC? I loved the cohort model, and I could tell from the website that the program had a very clear purpose.
Breanna: I’d heard about MTC during my last year in undergrad. My friend April planned to apply after Tougaloo, but I was set on leaving MS. I did and eventually the opportunity to teach came around. Somehow, I came across MTC again and applied. The program provided a cohort, and I knew that would be the best option for me. Mississippi is home and I felt strongly that any work should be done here.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST YEAR OF TEACHING LIKE IN MTC?
Hanna: My first year of teaching was a little rough at times and I will always have a unique story to tell of having a pandemic hit while it was our first year of teaching. But while it was hard, it was one of the best years of my life. I hit my stride as a teacher, and built a lot of great relationships with people in my cohort. I look at it with a very positive light.
Jack: If I had to give it a word, I would call it an adventure. It had its downs, but overall it was very exciting to build those relationships with the students and have them teach me so much too about how I can better teach them the material.
Breanna: Looking back, my first year was not as bad as I thought it was at the time. I learned how to interact with my students in a classroom. There was a lot of trial and error and doing things the way I thought I should. There was also a lot of personal development! Specifically, exercising patience and being intentional about how I interact with young adults. I learned all of those things during my first year. The hardest part was not getting to wrap that up. Although, a beautiful thing has been having students from last year stop by to chat before the bell or catching up with them after school. It’s weird that they all like me now. I’m skeptical.
HOW WAS THIS SUMMER?
Jack: I thought it went well with the constraints that were put on us. We were still able to get feedback and learn new things as teachers. We learned technology tools that have helped us even more this year. During our first few weeks of virtual school at Meridian, it has helped.
Hanna: Yeah, I think I would have been completely lost at the start of this fall without the virtual instruction that we got this summer. I still think we had a strong sense of community. Having a team teacher like Mr. Hart was still so valuable, and I don't think there was as much of a drop in our room.
Breanna: It was a great opportunity to observe how much I’ve picked up over the last year and how much I’ve grown in comparison to the first-years. Of course, it was different because of COVID, but I think you all did a great job remaining true to the program and the summer school experience. We had a lot of great workshops that I really appreciated as a second year. And I got to observe just how much the staff dedicates to the program, especially because it was so different from what we normally do. I felt really proud to be a part of the program.
WHAT HAS THIS FALL SEMESTER BEEN LIKE FOR YOU AS A TEACHER?
Hanna: I’ve had some real challenges. I think I'm a pretty positive person overall, but I have struggled a little bit. Especially with dividing my attention to in-person and virtual teaching. I think I’m getting better at it as time goes on, but I still feel like one group is kind of getting left behind, and it tends to be the virtual students in my case. So it’s definitely an opportunity for growth and improvement. But with any challenge, the relationships with students make everything worth it. It’s a reminder of why I do and love this job.
Jack: I 100% agree with Hanna. As a seasoned second-year educator, it has been a challenging year. Understanding teaching with technology, and initially when we didn't have the kids in person, it was tough to create those relationships online. And now going to hybrid and in-person. The ability to be flexible has been our strength, because we’ve had to work with the challenges we’re given. That really says a lot about the people we work with to adapt and still build rigor and establish relationships.
Breanna: I struggled with virtual learning. That’s the easiest way to sum up my thoughts. I will say, now that we’ve made it to October and I have a better sense of how things should work, I feel much better. I feel like I’m not supposed to say this because we’re in a whole pandemic, but having the students physically present helps. So much!
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOUR STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES DURING THIS TIME?
Hanna: I guess I mentioned this earlier that the students are just so resilient. I think they’re handling things really well. Most of my students are balancing school work. Some of the virtual students there are additional responsibilities at home like helping out with siblings. That just impresses me with their ability to multitask and still put out high quality work.
Jack: Yeah, our students are more resilient than what we give them credit for. One other thing I notice - when given the option to come to school or not, every student I see wants to continue learning. It says a lot about them even with the constraints that we’re all given, they still want to make the most out of those barriers.
Breanna: My response isn’t shiny. I’ve had a couple of students withdraw and I wonder about the why. It’s just - it’s eye-opening to so many things. I’ve come to learn more about our students (via veteran teachers) and school is more than school for some of them. It makes me worry.
WHO HAVE YOU LEANED ON FOR SUPPORT DURING THIS TIME?
Hanna: Definitely Jack and Breanna. They have just been so amazing to have as a support system and I hope I’m able to offer that to them as well. It’s amazing to have someone next door to pop in with a question or voice a concern to or have an ear. Then, my sister and my mom. Sometimes I also Facetime their dogs.
Jack: The first person I think of is my mom. She’s incredibly supportive. Then having MTC teachers at our school. Our whole program has been great. I’ve tried to call several second-year teachers and talk with them. They provide me with motivation over the phone. I think we all work hard to support each other on the phone.
Breanna: I’ve started therapy. I’ve made time for trips and I go home often. So yeah, family, and of course, my cohort. Jack and Hanna - we’re able to vent and support each other. I always know that I can holler at them and they’ll know where I’m coming from. I also get frequent “check-ins” from Brian in Jackson, so heavy on my cohort!
WHAT HAS BEEN ONE UNEXPECTED SILVER LINING ABOUT TEACHING THIS SEMESTER?
Hanna: It was cool to have that hybrid model cohort. It was cool to have smaller classes and get more interaction with students. I felt like I had a higher frequency of meaningful interactions with certain kids.
Jack: My silver lining - I have two classes that only have a few students in them. The classes with the less students on the roster, our class becomes so strong relationally. I’ve never experienced that before. Those classes have provided me a lot of joy during school. Our class days are ending earlier, which does give us more time to grade and contact parents for the next week. This has made me realize how awesome it is to have more time to plan.
Breanna: The students. I have one student who is writing a novel and she asked me to help her find MFA programs in the state. I sent her links to UM’s program. I have one who wants to strengthen his writing skills so that he can become a better songwriter. I’m also finding it easier to build relationships and connect with my students this year, which has been really nice and affirming during the hard moments.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT MERIDIAN?
Hanna: Bonita Lakes for me. I love going to hike with Mary Beth Willis. She has a kayak too, so sometimes we go out on the lake together. It’s just nice to be outdoors. Oh, and we got a PJ’s coffee!
Jack: Yes, I would say Bonita Lakes. I’d also say our Winn Dixie here is really nice. Oh, and our plethora of Mexican restaurants that won’t let you down. And honestly, I love our school too. It’s a little bit bigger and I think we have a good group of teachers at our school.
Breanna: Thai Krai, a Thai restaurant in town. It is my happy place. It’s just a little thai restaurant. I go and get the same thing every time. I love it. And Bonita Lakes, of course.