another one at humphrey's

Today I took my first load to my new house. It is absolutely beautiful, with the best from the old and new: hardwood floors; 3 bedrooms; newly renovated kitchen complete with a new stove, cabinets, dishwasher, and a pot rack; central air and heating. This will be my first home away from home besides the dorm, and I must say it's better than anything I could ever afford in Jackson, much less Memphis.

So Brooke and I have planned on rooming together for a while. I spent my last half of my senior year at her apartment. I got tired of the dorm life, the caf' food, and my messy roommate. Brooke and I were already best friends, and we discovered tons of common interests in food, cats, cooking food, music, talking about food, movies, going out to eat ethnic food, taking walks, collecting recipes on food, you get the idea...so when we found our house with an amazing kitchen, we had to wait for the realtor to turn around so he wouldn't see us jumping for joy.

So the plan was for Brooke to commute to her law firm in Jackson, and I'd commute to Belzoni. Then she tossed around the possibility of taking the Spanish teacher position at Humphrey's, but realizing she hadn't taken the praxis II, she decided to stay at the firm. But now, after realizing again how boring work was (and although she wouldn't admit it, how her abilities and gifts could be so much more useful in other vocations), she reconsidered. Adding to that the fact that our vice principal couldn't find another spanish teacher to fill the position (meaning spanish might be not be offered) Brooke is now trying to get an emergency license to teach at Humphrey's. The vice principal and superintendent enthusiastically support her, and hopefully the school board will as well.

So there may be another at Humphrey's...someone who knows more about the Delta than any of us because she grew up there. She has seen how it has permanently changed the way her family thinks and acts (both for the good and bad). She has had to work past false realities imposed on her by friends and family that somehow she was able to always see through (including, of course, racist views). She was has seen the effects the poor educational system can have on children, including her younger brother. Yet, her love for the Delta has never faltered. Just today I was talking to her about some of the problems in the Delta we have discussed recently in MTC. She vehemently opposed the idea that these problems were restricted to just the Delta and it was unfair to single that area out (which of course, she was right). She knows there are problems, but just as Dr. Mullins feels, she loves it enough to find the good and hope to change the bad.

Clearly, she was cut out to be a teacher.

So I hope that at Humphrey's there will be Tiffany, Anderson, Meredith, moi, and Brooke. I know other MTC members and teachers have struggled there in the past. Staplers have been thrown. We know there is disorganization and a lack of discipline in the administration. All schools have their problems. I know all of us will help and support one another. I know it will be hard, and one more caring teacher will definitely help.