Wingfield Bound

Monday I visited my new high school, and I got a chance to meet the new principal and assistant principal. They told me that they both came to the school two years ago as assistant principals, and that one of them is now taking over as the principal. The first thing I thought when I saw them was, “Man, they’re young!” Guessing, I don’t think either of them could be more than 33 or 34. They were able to tell me a lot of information about the school and what I can expect. The school has about 1200 students (it’s only built to hold 800) and is about 95 percent African American. They said my classes should average around 20-25 students (I’m still wondering if they just told me that to make sure I signed the dotted line). Anyway, the school appears to be a typical inner-city school, and I look forward to seeing it full of students. I think it will be very crowded, but I guess I’ll have to wait and see.
Also, I got the chance to go inside my new classroom, which is a portable one. Even though I’ll be teaching behind the school (along with probably 8 other teachers in portables), I think it will be good for my Spanish classes. Hopefully, I can create an atmosphere similar to a mini-world of Spanish. I think it’ll be the perfect opportunity, and I’ll have a little more freedom out there.
As far as the environment of the whole Wingfield area, I don’t really know what to expect. The school is located in South (Southwest?) Jackson, which is not the best area of town, but also not as bad as West Jackson. Either way, crime in Jackson is apparently pretty bad right now. The mayor is issuing a state of civil emergency today, and setting a curfew of 8 p.m. for minors (10 p.m. on weekends). I will definitely be aware of my surroundings when I move to Jackson.
As a whole, I’m excited about the coming year and the possibilities it brings. I expect challenges, but I also expect to have many successes. I taught in the critical-needs area of the Delta, and now I’m ready to face inner-city Jackson.