Among us first years, we have people from the North and from the South. We have city slickers and small town homebodies. We have people who went to small private universities and those that went to state schools. Some of us are super athletic, others, not so much. Some of us come from families that are well off, others relied on financial aide to make it through college. Some of us want teaching to be our career, others are just taking a "break" before heading to law/med school. Some of us are black and some of us are white. But in the end, we are all just human. We are all the same.
This is the one thing that I have noticed recently. In college, these same people existed, however, Georgetown was just big enough that you could pick who you wanted to associate with. Here in MTC, were our class has but 23 people in it, you have to associate with everyone. You have to talk to one another because really, you wont get very far otherwise. No one else understands quite what we are going through except each other. We can call out families and friends as much a we want. We can run away for weekends in Memphis, but really at the end of the day, the only people that can even slightly understand what we are talking about our our fellow first years.
So we must put aside our differences. That is what I am learning to do and I think a lot of people in this program are being tested on this aspect as well.
I hail from Northern Virginia, from a house that has a touch of English and Indian heritage. So obviously Oxford, MS is introducing me to some new things. For instance, I am learning that gentlemen hold doors open (and get mad if you don’t let them!) But interestingly enough, you know what does get under my skin? I know you are going to roll your eyes and say, “THAT is what bothers you?!” But the general lack of recycling around me is slightly irritating. I am certainly not generalizing to the entire South, because that would just be ignorant. But I am use to a recycling bin next to just about every trash bin. I am use to separating my glass and cardboard from the rest of the trash in the house. Here I don’t do that. The general lack for the environment in this sense, is quite irritating...
BUT that is not my point! My point is that we all come from very different backgrounds, but something brought us here. And that is the one thing that we all have in common (although there my be others). I think that it is crucial that everyone in this program remember that. Forget the petty fights and squabbles. Its going to be hard to put the next two years into words. So we have to count on each other. We need to be able to just look at one another and in that look, we shall just understand each other.
LJ: Thanks for the thoughtful post. I know you emphatically said that it was NOT your point, but I just have to say that I am also upset by the lack of environmental concern I have noticed in MS and specifically here in Oxford, which I would expect to be the most progressive town in the state. I have been trained to feel guilty for switching on the lights, so when I see people throwing aluminum cans, glass bottles, and newspapers in the dumpster I want to vomit. FYI there is a municipal station on Molly Barr Rd. right next to the police station - it's about a two minute drive from Northgate. Respect your mother - RECYCLE. So, to get back to the part of your post that was your point - the diversity of the group, etc. - I appreciate your reflections, and I just want to add something that Jen Lawrence said to me: teaching is the great equalizer - most MTCers (myself not included however) are used to succeeding at pretty much everything and generally superb. I am confident that most or all of us will in fact be superb teachers, but we are all pretty much on the same level and facing the same struggles and obstacles at this point. As that psychologist said to us, smart people ask for help. We should keep that in mind and focus on doing this together. -mg
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