MTR in the Commercial Appeal

The day of graduation, The Commercial Appeal printed an article in the Faith in Memphis section about the MTR. David Waters has written about Neighborhood Church, and was present when David came to NC to share more about the vision of MTR. He interviewed me along with David and Robin to write this article.

Here are a few exerpts:

Virginia Boyd wants to serve God and Memphis by becoming the best math teacher any city school kid has ever had.

David Montague and Robin Scott want to serve God and Memphis by helping Virginia do that.

"You don't have to talk about the love and compassion and mercy of Christ to demonstrate it," said Montague, a former stockbroker turned public school evangelist. "Becoming the best math teacher a kid's ever had is a valid response to the gospel."

Montague and Scott are leading the Memphis Teacher Residency, one of many nonprofit organizations that have responded to the Gates Foundation's $90-million challenge to put an effective teacher in every Memphis City Schools classroom.

Like Teach for America and the Memphis Teaching Fellows, MTR seeks to recruit, train and support outstanding urban educators in Memphis. What makes MTR different is its mission to do that "within a Christian context."

MTR's "Christian context" comes in the motivation, not the implementation.

"It's a shared mission, that's the heart of it," said Scott, a former Indiana public school teacher and MTR's director of education. Teaching in large, urban systems "is too hard, too demanding not to have a sense of mission about it," Scott said. "You have to see urban education as a calling."

MTR recruits and accepts only candidates who believe that teaching in large, urban public schools systems is a Christian calling, not just a career. But candidates also must believe they should not discuss their faith in a public school setting.

"America is not short on information about the gospel," said Montague, a former Christian missionary who directs MTR's work from offices in the basement of Union Avenue Baptist Church. "It is short on demonstrations of the power of the gospel."

....

"So far, we can't prove that MTR has any value whatsoever, but I swear I believe what I'm about to say," Montague said.

"What's happening in Memphis City Schools is the greatest opportunity to bring glory to God since Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Everyone really is watching Memphis. The president is watching. Bill and Melinda Gates are watching. The whole nation is watching.

"I believe the MTR has this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform education one school and one feeder pattern at a time. And in doing so, we have the opportunity and potential to transform and redeem public education in Memphis for God's glory. We have the opportunity to do the impossible, and by doing so, prove that God is real and powerful and faithful to His promises to those in need.

"And the whole world will know of it."

Grit and Grind

I believe you will remember this Memphis Grizzlies team for the rest of your days.

I believe the community needed a run like this.

I believe it's about more than basketball.

I believe in Memphis, in its people, and in its ability to surmount its problems with faith, joy and hard work.

FedExForum brimmed with Memphis in all its diversity, black, white, yellow and brown. The place rocked. Never mind the rising Mississippi. Come hell or high water has never had quite the same ring.

I believe that Tony Allen is an example of what can be done through hard work.

I believe Zach Randolph is living proof that you can overcome past mistakes.

I believe in grit and I believe in grind.

I believe the Grizzlies won more playoff games than any No. 8 seed in history.

*Text from Geoff Calkins column after the Grizzlies lost round 2 game 7 in OKC.

Jubilant Defiance In The Face of a Rising River

Check out this great column about last night's game. One of the most epic nights of my life.

I wholeheartedly agree with Geoff Calkins in these sections:


"Now it was done. Now the epic was over. The Oklahoma City Thunder had defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in three overtimes, 133-123. So the fans stood and watched and cheered.
Yes, cheered. You couldn’t help but cheer. Cheer for the effort. Cheer for this game of games. Cheer for the privilege of being a witness, and a part of it all."

"It was jubilant defiance in the face of a rising river. It was Memphis at its absolute best." 

“The only thing I was waiting for was for Elvis to rise out of center court,” said Shane Battier. “Even that, I don’t think it would have surprised me at this point.”

I have lots of pictures and videos to post later, but I needed to document my excitement before I take a nap this afternoon.

Believe Memphis

There are lots of historic events going on in Memphis right now. The Mississippi River is flooding, I'm finished with my Capstone paper, and the Memphis Grizzlies are playing in the second round of the playoffs. This is the last few seconds of Game 6 when we beat the Spurs:

And in a couple of hours we will play game 3 against the OKC Thunder. We're 1-1 and about to play two games at home. I'm going to Game 4 on Monday, and I'll definitely be sporting my headband.

Go GRIZZLIES!

Razorbacks in Memphis

A couple of weeks ago my Razorback baseball team played the University of Memphis at Autozone Park. The weather was perfect, and Sarah and I were not going to miss an opportunity to spend the evening outside.

Sydney is the reason I knew about the game and it was really fun to have a chance to see and visit with her! Sarah got to experience the calling of the hogs and we ended up with a 7-3 victory that night! Woo Pig Sooie!

Sarah looks good in an Arkansas shirt! 

I Beat the Odds

Over Spring Break a couple of weeks ago I finally had the chance to read Michael Oher's book, I Beat the Odds that my mom gave me months ago. In the book he tells details about his childhood of poverty, homelessness, and foster care in Memphis and how he was personally motivated to work his way out of poverty. His main goal in writing the book is to tell children in poverty how they can get out and to show people who can help what the needs are.

Hope through a Dream
From the time he was seven, his sights were set on the future. "I knew that I wanted a life outside of the 'hood and I knew that the only way I could get it would be to go after it on my own."

"Helping kids see a better way of thinking and living when they are young is so much easier than trying to re-teach them a whole new way of life when they are adults and end up making the same mistakes their parents made."

"Martin Luther King, Jr., had a dream, and so does every kid in foster care. Our dreams may not be as big as his were, but they are just as important. Having some kind of goal is absolutely essential for kids trapped in poverty and bad family situations, because if we can't hope that things might be better someday, then we basically lose a reason to live. It's  lot easier to fall down, or to stay where you are, than it is to fight gravity by trying to pull yourself up."

Working toward the Dream
Once Michael realized that sports were the road he would take, he thought it would be something that happened once he was an adult. "But as I got older... I started to see a difference between myself and the other kids who had my same dream. There were the kids who wanted to become something. The ones who wanted it ended up getting involved in drugs and gangs - the easy way to make some quick cash and the most common route to take. The kids who were working toward it were the ones who were showing up to school, trying to be responsible, and studying players instead of just watching sports."

"In the end, I realized any success I might have would come down to two things. 1.) finding good people to surround myself with; and 2.) taking responsibility for myself."

A few days after Spring Break, I had the opportunity to attend a seminar with Ruby Payne about her book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty. Two of her key points reminded me of exactly what Michael Oher is telling the children who are growing up in similar situations to his childhood.

1. Two things that help one move out of poverty are:

• Education
• Relationships

2. Four reasons one leaves poverty are:

• Too painful to stay
• Vision or goal
• Key relationship
• Special talent/skill

One of the last chapters is called "Breaking the Cycle," where Michael is addresses kids like him specifically.

"Just because the statistics say we're likely to fail doesn't mean that it has to be true for us."

"Don't ever allow yourself to feel trapped by your choices. Take a look at yourself. You are a unique person  created for a specific purpose. Your gifts matter. Your story matters. Your dreams matter. You matter. The decisions you make this year, this month, this week, this day, this hour - they all matter, too. Each good choice is an investment in your future. You can get a better life. If you are willing to roll up your sleeves and work for it, then you certainly deserve it."

This last quote is the message that I want to both tell and show all of my students. I'm thinking about ways to share this quote with my current students in a meaningful way. 

More Thoughts on Memphis

Just like this post, I like what this guy has to say about Memphis in his interview on the I Love Memphis blog too!


"In 10 years, I hope Memphis: won’t be afraid of change. One thing that makes a town great is by embracing change, and that starts at the top."


"I love Memphis because: there is so much diversity here as well as talented people. That alone is a reason why I love this city."

Thoughts on Memphis

One of my favorite blogs is I Love Memphis. Everyone should follow it whether you live in Memphis or not. If you want coverage of Elvis' birthday or Memphis BBQ brackets check it out! This year Kerry, the I Love Memphis czar is doing a 365 project of Memphians with a few interview questions. Justin is Memphian #11 (on the 11th of January:) and I really loved his response to two questions about Memphis. I have tried to say both of these things before much less effectively.


My first impression of Memphis was: After growing up in the south and living in Europe during my first leg of graduate work, it felt a whole lot like home; a sort of cozy but lived in kinda place.  Memphis, like Jackson (Miss), wears its history on its sleeve and that rough-around-the-edges beauty really struck a cord with me.


I love Memphis because: You get out what you put into Memphis, and this city has so much to give.

MTR Fall Selection Weekend

Last weekend we hosted 50-60 applicants to show off Memphis and interview them to be residents next year. It was a busy weekend, but much more relaxing to already be a resident going into the weekend. A big part of selecting from the pool of applicants is determining if they are a good fit for our community.

They need to be okay with being greeted at the airport like this:

And taken to a school that is packed up to be moved for renovations:

And participating in singing Joy to the World (and being part of next year's resident whistle orchestra):

We love our community, which helps us to be able to work so hard to love our students. Here is a glimpse into each classroom MTR has a resident placed this year:

I adore each one of my fellow residents and hope they are all enjoying this break as much as I am. I am excited to add to our team, whoever our leaders selected!

St. Jude Marathon Weekend

Now that I have a new look for my blog, I am actually going to post. My title is a little sneaky. I did not run a marathon or even a half marathon (this year...)

Earlier this month all of the MTR residents and staff raised money to support St. Jude and participated in one of the races. Green shirts - 5k, Grey shirts - half marathon, Red shirts - full marathon. 

Here is the 5K crowd:

I ran the 5K and improved my mile time by over a minute since running the Youth Villages 5K in April.

After running, I hopped around the city to cheer on the half and full marathoners.

There are many parallels between training to run a marathon (or 5K) and training to be a teacher. Long, hard hours of diligent training and lots of hope and stamina. Along with some cheerleaders as support.

I'm really proud of our team! It was a beautiful day for MTR, the kids of St. Jude, and Memphis!

Memphis Dates

Last week Rebekah joined the MTR family as our Residency Director. We had dinner together to welcome her on Wednesday night and played a name game that included where we would take Rebekah on a date in Memphis. Here are the results: 

1. Sunrise Thrift Store
2. Binghampton Sports Complex
3. Memphis Pizza Cafe
4. Burke's Books
5. Memphis Zoo (ice skating rink opens November 19)
6. Republic Coffee
7. Middle College High School
8. Soulfish Cafe
9. Caritas Village
10. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (when in town)
11. La Baguette
12. Cheesecake Corner
13. Running at Shelby Farms
14. Memphis Redbirds Baseball Game
15. Biking on the new Greenline
16. Shangri-La and Goner Records
17. Yo Lo
18. Memphis Tigers Basketball Game
19. Sunset at Mud Island and Little Cafe Eclectic
20. Running with Whitehaven Cross Country Team and Chocolate Malts at Dixie Queen
21. DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse)
22. Eat at Bombay and see the Whiz at Hattiloo Theater
23. The Little Tea Shop Downtown
24. Horseback Riding at Shelby Farms
25. Otherlands Coffee Bar
26. Uncle Lou's Fried Chicken
27. Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
28. Gibson's Donuts
29. The Levitt Shell in Overton Park
30. Jerry's Sno Cones

I have made the places I have been bold, and I hope to check the rest off the list very soon!

Annie

I am so thankful for today. I'm thankful to be in Memphis and working in Memphis City Schools. I'm thankful for supportive friends and family. I'm thankful for all the things I have learned this summer that made today a successful first day. I'm thankful for students who volunteer to work problems on the board the first day of school. I'm thankful for a mentor who let me take over (as much as I know how to) on the first day.


And I'm thankful for stories that will always make me laugh:


My 5th period class is full of students who had my mentor teacher last year, so they were very comfortable talking and participating today. One student told me that I looked like Shirley Temple and little orphan Annie. I said it must be the curly red hair, admitting she was right. Little did I know that she would decide that she was going to call me Annie... in front of the principal. I was walking past the student in the hallway so when I got to the principal I jokingly said, "That's Ms. Annie to you." 

1st Day

Tomorrow is the day. My official first day of teaching.

I'm scared and excited all at the same time. I'm comforted by the fact that I'm not alone, not for one moment. Not only do I have a mentor teacher who I will be with all day, but I have two MTR peers I'm riding to school with, and a coach who is taking us out for ice cream after school. And I have a super awesome God who has not only led me here, but will guide me the entire way, tomorrow and everyday.

As I was getting organized tonight, I came across this poem that KIPP students memorized this summer and found it to be extremely relevant for tomorrow.[KIPP left out the middle part about God, but it is pretty important:] I'm printing a copy to put up by my desk.

Our Deepest Fear 

Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

KIPP Clinicals

Two weeks ago we finished our summer clinicals at KIPP, and we were oh-so-excited to be given KIPP shirts on our last day. Across the back of each shirt it says, "There are no excuses." 

This week we are at our schools for in-service and setting up our classrooms. I am definitely nervous about school starting on Monday, but confident because of the opportunity I had at KIPP to practice leading a classroom and interact with students. I'm becoming more comfortable with being called Ms. Boyd everyday. 

Life is Full

The last 5+ weeks have flown by since I moved and started MTR. Life is oh-so-busy, but definitely a ton of fun and very fulfilling. I love living in Midtown and love our apartment [with the exception of the occasional cockroach - I have killed 5 so far].

Lots of the furniture I had in Fayetteville, and of course the cross collection is always a topic of conversation. My bedroom was not picture-ready this day, so I owe you a picture of it. Sarah loves to have people over as much as I do, so we have friends over often. 

This post is going WAY back to the first week of MTR. We had a Midtown Scavenger Hunt. We didn't win, but we sure did have a blast. We decoded clues that led us to Piggly Wiggly [the first self-service grocery store], the ABC/24 station, the school board, Young Avenue Deli, and the Main Library. We also got 5 additional points for each person in the picture not in MTR.

MTR Residents are on the same page so much that we dress alike without any planning:

We were very excited to have finished two of our courses and successfully made it through our first Saturday class. There are many more of those to come!

Ashley became a Master back in May. She got hooded with her Masters of Occupational Therapy. We are so proud!

Meredith and I experienced our first Flash Mob in person a few weeks ago. She called me about 33 minutes before it started and I rushed from Cordova to pick her up and make it downtown in time to catch most of the performance. 

Since we had class, we were not able to make it to Bonnaroo the second weekend in June, so a few of my classmates implemented Lonnaroo out on the lawn here at our apartment complex. The dress code was "sexy casual" and there was a tattoo design specifically for the event. Nadia walked the dog on her ankle and Martha and Danielle were my guests.

Aunt Kay, Uncle Bob, Sarah, and Andrew came though town a few weeks ago as they moved back to Colorado and we hit up Central BBQ per Uncle Bob's request. Sarah and Andrew drew some awesome pictures that we have displayed on our refrigerator when they stopped by to see our apartment.

Last Friday was Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-a, so 22 of us dressed up as cows to get a free lunch. We even coined a cheer, "We love cows yes we do! We love cows Moo, Moo, Moo!"

Nadia even showed us what Mad Cow Disease is like. [center picture]

Saturday night all of MTR went to the Redbirds game. I had such great conversation and company that I barely watched the game! 

It was fun to be all together on such a beautiful night! We brought 7 or 8 blankets, but by the end of the night, we were all sitting close to each other on 3 of them.

Roommate Date

This seems like it was so long ago! Part of orientation for MTR is a required Roommate date so we decided to go here:

And it was such a great idea that Mike and Stu joined us. We waded down the Mississippi and went walking in [on] Memphis:

And I made sure Mike didn't cross over into Arkansas.

And then we had some roommate time on the pedal boat. Sarah rocks. Enough said.

I'm loving MTR more and more everyday!

Middle College Commute

Our first presentation for MTR was a Community Snapshot of the schools we will be residents at this year. Sarah, Janessa, and I are all going to be at Middle College High School, which is an optional school located adjacent to Christian Brothers University. The students apply to go to MCHS and can take dual enrollment courses at CBU during their junior and senior years.

We put together this video to show what the students go through to get to school each day since they do not go to their neighborhood schools:

*If you had trouble viewing the video before, I have uploaded it directly to blogger, so it should work now!

MTR at the Shell

I love living in Midtown. One of those reasons is the convenient free concerts at the Levitt Shell. Perfect way to spend a few nights a week with my new friends:

Great fellowship and sometimes even a little reading or dancing.

Civil Rights

During Orientation last week, we spent an amazing morning at the Civil Rights Museum which is located at the Lorraine Hotel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on the balcony in 1968.

I had not been to the Museum since I was in elementary school, so it had a big impact on me. My emotions ranged from disgust from the mindless hatred shown by many and admiration for all the people who stood for truth. This quote has stuck with me: 

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963

The right to a good education is a civil right. Every student is worth it. 

God of This City

I officially started classes today for MTR. Tonight a couple of my new friends had a group over to their apartment for worship. For me it was a time of assurance that God is doing great things here in Memphis, especially in dealing with the injustices of the public school system. For many of us this song speaks a lot to why we are here:

God of this City 

You're the God of this City 
You're the King of these people 
You're the Lord of this nation 
You are 

You're the Light in this darkness 
You're the Hope to the hopeless 
You're the Peace to the restless 
You are 

There is no one like our God 
There is no one like our God 

For greater things have yet to come 
And greater things are still to be done in this City 
Greater thing have yet to come 
And greater things are still to be done in this City 

There is no one like our God 
There is no one like our God 

For greater things have yet to come 
And greater things are still to be done in this City 
Greater things have yet to come 
And greater things are still to be done here 

There is no one like our god 
There is no one like our God 

Greater things have yet to come 
And greater things are still to be done in this City 
Greater things have yet to come 
And greater things are still to be done here


Moving into Midtown and getting to know all of my peers and the MTR staff has been amazing during the last two weeks. We have already gotten very close with each other and together have been immersed into the history of Memphis, making me love the city even more. I have lots of stories and pictures to share, but not much time. One quick story about how well we know each other: On Saturday I went with my new friend Kristin to get a pedicure and the man doing her pedicure asked how long we had known each other. He was shocked when she said, "Only a week." Only God could remove the barriers and bring our group together so perfectly to serve in Memphis.