On Transparency

It has been a busy summer (as always) here at Teacher Corps central.  I finally have internet at home so I should be able to blog a bit more.  The MTC Summer School at Holly Springs is going well although we only have about 90 students.  We are offering 12 courses so some courses have ended up with only one or two students while others have 15 or 20.

The new blogs on Vox also seem to be working out well.  Each summer there are always issues that spring up and this summer has been no exception.  Here are a few that first and second-years have, in the parlance of Ann Monroe, "blogged out":

Melissa's feelings of how the program has treated the first and second-years here and here.

Chris' response here.  Melissa and Chris are both second-years.

Nathan's response to some comments I made here and here.

And, last but not least, Sam's feelings on the summer training here.  Nate and Sam are first-years.

Most of these posts are critical of MTC, in general, and myself, in particular.  Truth be told, I am proud of that.  Not the criticism, but the honesty.  I feel strongly that MTC be an organization that embraces dissent and criticism.  MTC is, in my humble opinion, a transparent organization where both the good and bad are right up front for everyone to see.  One of the best things about the blogs is that it gives every single participant in the program a voice.  I'm glad to see people using their voice...

Things are not perfect with MTC but, as alumnus Anderson Heston stated, way back when he was a first-year and there was some talk of squelching the blogs, the program should be strong enough to accept honest criticism.  Amen.