Hi Everyone,
I hope you are all doing well. This has been a very busy time for MTC as one class finishes and another class comes in.
I know many of you want a recruiting update. Our application deadline was April 22nd. We received a total of 634 applications, falling well short of this year’s goal of 800 applications. Last year we received 405 applications so we had a greater than 55% increase in the number of applications. My first full year as Program Manager, in 2004, we received 120 applications. So, over the last three years, we have had a 450% increase in applications. 634 is the greatest number of applications MTC has ever received, breaking last year's record.
Of the 634 applications received, we gave out 47 acceptances for an incoming total of 28 participants. This gives us an acceptance rate of 7%. This is the most competitive year ever for MTC (last year our acceptance rate was 11%). To put this into perspective, Harvard and Yale accept about 9% of all applicants. Teach For America accepts about 16% of all applicants. So, viewed through the prism of either competitive four-year education programs or competitive teaching programs, MTC is the most competitive program in the nation (by percent of applicants accepted). We also instituted a phone interview as part of the regular application process (thanks to Joe Sweeney ’04 and Matt Bauers ’04 for their help with this) and that has been a big help. The summer internship was even more competitive. We received 124 applications for one spot. I’ll send out more information about the incoming Class of 2007 in June. The first day of training is Tuesday, June 5th.
News story this month is on the Class of 2005, who had "Portfolio Day" last Saturday. We’ve got YouTube clips and photos as well (hyperlinks below).
The portfolio is the final assignement for each MTC participant. About half of this year’s class chose to do an online portfolio. You can view them here. This year’s winner of the “Most Outstanding Portfolio Award” was Lily Chan-Chien. Jessica Wysopal was runner-up. Last year, Joel Harris was the winner. Joe Sweeney and Elizabeth Young tied for second.
The University of Mississippi has a nice story on Dave Jones and his championship winning Quiz Bowl Team. We presented Dave with a check for $500 (thanks to an anonymous donation) to help with travel costs. You can see the video here.
Photo of the Month is courtesy of Ruth Kuhnau.
Profile of the Month is on first-year Chris Caputo.
NPR ran two stories about the Delta and two of our teachers, Ashley Johnson and Elizabeth Savage. You can listen to both stories here.
I’m in the process of switching my blog to Vox. For this year’s incoming class, the blogs will all be Vox accounts as they provide several layers of security.
Speaking of the blogs here is the latest MTC Blog update:
AG contemplates not returning for year two.
One of ZJ’s students asks, “What is poverty?”
One of GM’s student’s likes Oreos and Gatorade.
At the end of her first year DM asks, “Am I glad I came to Mississippi?”
MD writes about the end of his two years in MTC.
Be sure to visit the website where you can watch movies (including our Teacher Spotlight series), read blogs, view participant profiles, and see photos. Our YouTube site is here. Our SmugMug page is here.
As always, please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Ben Guest
Program Manager
Mississippi Teacher Corps
Email: mtc@olemiss.edu
Website: www.mtcorps.net
Phone: 662-915-5224
Ben's Website
Ben's Blog
The Mississippi Teacher Corps is the most competitive teaching program in the country. The two-year program, designed for non-education majors, recruits college graduates to teach in the Mississippi Delta and offers a host of benefits, including teacher training and certification, a full scholarship for a master's degree in education, job placement that includes full pay and benefits and, most importantly, the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students in one of the poorest areas of the country.
http://www.olemiss.edu/programs/mtc/
http://www.youtube.com/mtcorps
http://www.mtc.smugmug.com/
http://www.olemiss.edu/programs/mtc/Participants/Media/Websites/mtc_sites.htm
http://www.olemiss.edu/cgi-bin/news2000/display.pl?id=6149&mode=full
http://www.olemiss.edu/programs/mtc/Media/photo_month/main.htm
http://www.olemiss.edu/programs/mtc/Participants/monthlyprofile/main.htm
http://www.olemiss.edu/programs/mtc/Media/Audio/MTCaudio.htm
http://mtc.vox.com/
http://www.olemiss.edu/programs/mtc/Participants/TheMTCExperience/blogs/blogs.htm
http://trekabout.blogspot.com/2007/05/contracted-to-serve.html
http://unclecoy.blogspot.com/2007/04/mr.html
http://younevercantellwithbees.blogspot.com/2007/04/oreos.html
http://adventures-n-teaching.blogspot.com/2007/04/wish-ida-known.html
http://dmmolina.blogspot.com/2007/04/end-of-era.html
http://www.olemiss.edu/programs/mtc/index.htm
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I've created two new maps for the Mississippi Teacher Corps website.
The first is a map of Oxford, MS for current Mississippi Teacher Corps participants.
The second is a map of the Mississippi Teacher Corps Placements over the last six years.
Enjoy.
Commencement 2007 photos up on SmugMug.
]]>CLARKSDALE, MS–Ida Mae Dobbs, longtime woman of Willie "Skipbone" Jackson, called a press conference Tuesday to respond to charges levied against her by the legendary Delta blues singer.
"Despite what Mr. Jackson would have you believe, I am not an evil-hearted woman who will not let him be," Dobbs told reporters. "I repeat: I am not an evil-hearted woman who will not let him be. To the contrary, my lovin' is so sweet, it tastes just like the apple off the tree."
Dobbs, accused of causing Jackson pain and breaking his heart by calling out another man's name, categorically denied treating him in a low-down manner.
"He says he sends for his baby, but I don't come around," Dobbs, a brownskin woman, said. "He says he sends for his baby, but I don't come around. Well, the truth is, I do come, but he is out messing with every gal in town."
During the press conference, Dobbs also disputed an Aug. 27 statement made by Jackson, who compared her to a dresser because someone is always going through her drawers.
"My drawers have not been gone through by any man but Willie "Skipbone" Jackson," Dobbs said. "Neither Slim McGee nor Melvin Brown has ever been in my drawers. Nor has Sonny 'Spoonthumb' Perkins, nor any of those other no-good jokers down by the railroad tracks. My policy has always been to keep my drawers closed to everyone but Mr. Jackson, as I am his woman and would never treat him so unkind."
In addition to denying Jackson's drawer-opening allegations, Dobbs disputed charges of unrestricted sweet-potato-pie distribution, insisting that her pie is available only to Jackson.
"I do not give out my sweet potato pie arbitrarily, as I am not the sort of no-good doney who engages in such objectionable behavior," Dobbs told reporters. "Only one man can taste my sweet potato pie, and I believe I have made it perfectly clear who that man is." Dobbs noted that the same policy applies to her biscuits, which may be buttered only by Jackson.
While most of the accusations levied against Dobbs relate to her running around town with other men, she does face one far more serious charge, attempted homicide. On May 5, 1998, Jackson was rushed to the hospital and narrowly escaped death after ingesting nearly five ounces of gasoline. Jackson claimed that Dobbs tried to murder him, serving him a glass of the toxic fuel when he requested water. Dobbs dismissed the episode as "an accident."
Dobbs, a short-dress, big-legged woman from Coahoma County, said it is not she but Jackson who should be forced to defend himself. According to Dobbs, Jackson frequently has devilment on his mind, staying up until all hours of the night rolling dice and drinking smokestack lightning.
"Six nights out of seven, he goes off and gets his swerve on while I sit at home by myself. Then he comes knocking on my door at 4 a.m., expecting me to rock him until his back no longer has any bone," Dobbs said. "Is that any way for a man to treat his woman? I don't want to, but if he keeps doing me wrong like this, I am going to take my lovin' and give it to another man."
Added Dobbs: "Skipbone Jackson is going to be the death of me."
Dobbs said that until she receives an apology from Jackson and a full retraction of all accusations, he will not be given any grinding.
"Mr. Jackson says that I stay out all night and that I'm not talking right. He says he has rambling on his mind as a result of my treating him so unkind. He says I want every downtown man I meet and says they shouldn't even let me on the street," Dobbs said. "Well, I refuse to allow my name to be dragged through the mud like this any longer. Unless my man puts an end to these unfair attacks on my character, I will neither rock nor roll him to the break of dawn. I am through with his low-down ways."
]]>America is the richest country in world. America is the richest country in the history of the world. Yet, almost 20% of the country lives below the poverty line. 11 million children live in households that can't afford to provide enough food. Instead of having sympathy for the poor, they are demonized as lazy, or "welfare queens." And what is the number one reason people fall into poverty? An unforseen medical emergency, where the head of the household a) stops working and b) piles up monstrous medical bills. Twin fallouts of the end of unionized labor and the lack of universal, free health-care. America is the only first-world country on the planet that does not offer universal health care to it's citizens. But this is about food stamps: Hunger and Food Stamps in America.
Harvard wants to focus on teaching, like Amherst does...
A teacher from Vermont (by way of Williamstown), her son died in 9/11. To honor his memory, she started a school for girls in Afghanistan.
The War (Farce) on Drugs. How's that working out?
Scientists find a potential cure for cancer.
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