Teaching in a Pandemic Reflection Series (West Tallahatchie)
Bill Meehan & Jack Fredericks
The following is from an interview with Bill Meehan and Jack Fredericks. They both entered MTC in 2019, and are currently teaching in the West Tallahatchie School District.
1. WHAT DREW YOU TO JOIN THE MISSISSIPPI TEACHER CORPS?
Bill: I was teaching in Asia for quite a few years, and wanted to come back and be a teacher. I was looking at all of the programs out there, and I liked MTC’s size. It seemed to be more personalized than other national programs and had what I was looking for, such as a small class size, a scholarship, and the ability to work immediately. I also found the location, being in a rural setting, appealing as well.
Jack: The initial draw for me was the ability to be certified in two years free of charge. That’s a more pragmatic answer, but it’s one of the answers that drew me to the program. The more qualitative answers are two-fold. I went to school in MS and I regretted leaving. I spent around seven years outside of the state, and I’ve always wanted to try and get back. I’ve been in the classroom, just like Bill, but I was a bad teacher in those experiences. There was little oversight, and I wanted to become a better teacher - one who was empathetic, organized and who looked at it as a craft rather than a job. The mission of the program aligned with my values too.
2. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST YEAR OF TEACHING LIKE IN MTC?
Bill: It was a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be. The way I was initially treated by the students was something that I hadn’t experienced before, and it threw me. My students in prior years often didn’t have a permanent English teacher, had little reason to believe I would stay, and therefore had little respect for the new teacher.. It definitely made things difficult at the beginning. It just took some adapting on my part to build relationships and begin to gain the trust of the students. By Christmas time though, things were really turning around. I had adapted. And then the pandemic hit.
Jack: It was difficult for sure - a learning curve in many ways. MTC does a really nice job of preparing you to be a good instructor within a certain context. But that’s all it really is, preparation. It takes a really long time to get comfortable in front of kids in a classroom, and I’m still working on this. It takes time to become a useful instructor to kids in a community that we’re not from. It’s a very rural school we work in, so it’s a difficult adjustment because you’re thrown into a community that is unlike one that I’m from. It was also a good opportunity for me to learn more empathy and to be reacquainted with some of the realities of poverty in this state and in the South. I read something the other day where it said, “There’s poverty, and then there’s Mississippi poverty.” And there’s something to that. It was an opportunity to be reacquainted to that. It was a learning experience, but it was an important, formative experience that I wouldn’t trade.
3. HOW WAS THIS SUMMER?
Jack: The thing that is really strong about summer school is that the leadership at the top is really strong. That sets it up for success regardless of the format. You could have the whole thing in an auditorium, and if the leadership is strong, they’re going to learn. I was lucky in that I had a team teacher who was uniquely gifted to teach in this type of format. Ms. Hardy is so detail-oriented and organized that the experience of learning to teach virtually from her was really strong. So those would be my two thoughts. I learned stuff this summer school that I had no idea about. I now do stuff that I got from Ms. Hardy and from my peers all the time in class, so I thought the summer prepared me well. Obviously, classroom management isn’t something that you can reproduce in a virtual setting; but I don’t think you can 100% reproduce it in a summer school setting either. It’s just different than the real thing. As far as camaraderie, you do the best you can. I think it was fine.
Bill: I was devastated when I found out that it wasn’t going to be in-person, because I was looking forward to having the second-year experience to show how I had grown in confidence and ability. But the opportunity to work with Ms. Hardy was extremely beneficial. She was amazing. I learned a lot from her and from working with the other second-years and the first-years. It was definitely a good experience. The second years wrote a whole new curriculum. We all worked really well together and came up with an excellent course. I was really pleased with it, considering it was the first time we had done this and I think it was beneficial for all of us.
4. WHAT HAS THIS FALL SEMESTER BEEN LIKE FOR YOU AS A TEACHER?
Jack: To me, it took all the things that I love about teaching, the fun stuff, it took them away. It left me with the stuff that I don’t particularly love, which is paperwork. That being said, I understand that I can turn any negative situation into a positive. That’s a coping skill that I have. But I also learned to love the paperwork. I’ve gotten so much better. Last year, I’d be embarrassed to look at my stuff. I've also learned to love data. I’ve learned to love how to piece together standards and learning objectives. I’m really enjoying that stuff. We have some really strong PLCs within our department. We talk about data. We break down assignments. We share. We didn’t do any of that last year. Without the daily interaction with children, it’s hard to feel like you’re a teacher making a difference. It’s the relationships with kids that make you feel like you’re making a difference. I’ve grown to love the other stuff though, and I feel like I’m going to be that much stronger my third year, and a better teacher for my administration. I’ve learned that what’s important to them is important to me. I’m tired of thinking that I have to do everything on my own. I’ve come to see the other side of it. What is important to them is important to me.
Bill: I second almost everything that Jack said. This year has been so different in so many ways. But I feel more confident as a teacher. A lot of that has to do with our PLCs and our unity as an English department, and really being focused on the standards we’re teaching and the objectives. Then being able to explain that in our meetings. Being able to think through the process and how we each teach different the subject. Collaborating on everything and being able to grow each week. It’s made me that much more confident as a teacher. It’s been so much easier online than in person, because I don’t have classroom disruptions. But I think I’m connecting with the students who are in class and having a more positive educational influence on them. I’m more confident this year and enjoying it more.
5. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOUR STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES (THE OVERALL COMMUNITY) DURING THIS TIME?
Bill: I think you see a difference in that some students have a lot of support and some don’t. Some of your better students are those who you’re in contact with a lot. Some students are allowed to get by. I think the pandemic is showing where not all students are online and some students aren’t able to do anything. Then there are other students who are going above and beyond, and producing incredible work and asking for help, etc. Just kind of seeing the drastic differences between different students. I’ve also seen the school as being very close knit - how much like family everyone is. Something that’s unique about a school of our size. It really is like a family, and the teachers know all of the families and things like that. A lot of the decisions that the school has made during the pandemic has taken place in close consultation with the community. It is refreshing to see students, their families, and the district all working together in difficult times.
Jack: First year teaching, you don’t really lift your head up and look around. Part of that is a defense mechanism. One thing I’ve learned though is that schools are living organisms that rely on trust from the stakeholders and the elected officials hired to oversee it. Thinking of it as a partnership has helped me understand my relationship with the students and the parents, because it is a partnership that is one I engage in continually to make sure the ecology of the school is healthy. I hesitate to say this, but one other thing that I’ve learned is how I’ve internalized a lot of negative stereotypes of people who are suffering from poverty or some negative racial stereotypes that say parents don’t care about their kids’ education. That’s not true. They don’t have the time or resources to spend helping or aiding their kids in certain subjects; but to dismiss it as they’re not as involved, that’s like the coded word. That’s not something that I’ve found to be true. The parents at West Tally are concerned, committed, and involved as much as they can, and they work as a family. The kids are resilient in what they can experience and still achieve. I still have kids who don’t have any access to the internet and they're begging me for more packets or asking for letters of rec. They’re still so resilient even with the challenges they’re facing. Those are the things I’ve been learning this year.
6. WHO HAVE YOU LEANED ON FOR SUPPORT DURING THIS TIME?
Jack: Certainly, there have been friendships I’ve made in MTC that have been beneficial. I’ve always leaned on Bill in the building for support. Jack Horan (MTC ‘18) has always been a great resource. One thing I’ve always tried to do as well is to be involved in several things, whether that’s exercising or cooking or reading to help cope in a healthy way when it gets stressful. Certainly, my peers in MTC have been a great support system. The group that it’s in the Delta is pretty strong.
Bill: Talking with Jack as well as fellow MTC teachers such as alum Jack Horan has always been helpful. Usually, we’d meet up in the morning and at lunch and we’d talk things through. I also have a Special Education teacher, Ms. Jones, and we probably spend at least an hour each week discussing how we can effectively help the students in the class. She’s been an amazing help to me - last year and this year. And outside of the school, I try to go outside and exercise - just walking and hiking as much as possible.
Jack: I also forgot that last year I was coaching. For support, I made some really strong partnerships and friendships with the coaches, and it was amazing how much they accepted me and helped me learn. They taught me how to be a better leader at West Tally. I still talk to the football coach. We talk all the time. That’s the great thing about Tally - it’s so close knit. If they think you’re trying, they’re going to bring you into the family, and encourage you to stay as long as possible.
7. WHAT HAS BEEN ONE UNEXPECTED SILVER LINING ABOUT TEACHING THIS SEMESTER?
Bill: My knowledge of technology and the different tools I can use for teaching has grown immensely. Even when we go back to a state of normalcy, some of the technology will definitely stay in my lesson plans.
Jack: The inequitable access to technology and resources this year, and it kind of inspired me to start this non-profit that launched in October. I never would’ve had the time to do that if I was spending all of my time coaching. That’s been an unexpected silver-lining.
8. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT BEING A PART OF THE WEST TALLAHATCHIE COMMUNITY?
Bill: I think being able to bring my life experiences into the community to those who have not seen much of the world. But also my ability to learn so much more about life by the relationships I have with the community, my students, and their parents. I’ve loved learning all of their stories, and being a part of their lives.
Jack: It’s the familial aspect for sure. One of the things that I always loved about working in restaurants was that type of job really encourages a familial relationship with people, because it’s a small community that is bonded together by a high-stress environment, which is not dissimilar from West Tally. I think I would've been fine at a larger school, but I’m so glad that I’m in a small community. I like feeling as though I am part of a community that is trying to lift the kids up a little bit. It’s the Delta. The Delta is family - that’s how it is out here. That’s the thing I love most about teaching in West Tally.