An American Idea

By: Callie Ball

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are looking for a vacation idea, here’s one: visit a National Park. With 390 parks to choose from there is no shortage of diversity. Take in the views from atop a volcano in Hawaii, witness climate change for yourself at Glacier National Park or traverse the labyrinth of Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Whether you’re an adventure seeker or just looking to reconnect with nature for a weekend, there is something for everyone.

Considered to be America’s best idea, it’s hard to imagine the United States without its National Parks. The idea to protect the best of nature dates back long before 1916 and the government declared vast amounts of land to be under federal protection before then. Yet, the idea was not welcomed by all. Many people had commercial, and therefore, political interests in the resources the Parks offer. But the idea really took off when Theodore Roosevelt became President. He and John Muir were the two main driving forces behind the protection of American land and by the time Roosevelt left office, over 100 million acres had come under federal protection.

Even though there was now a system in place to care for the nation’s natural treasures there was no order to it. If you wanted to visit the parks you had to blaze your own trail. There were no walking trails, information centers or guides; it was true wilderness. That changed in 1933 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into effect the Civilian Conservation Core or CCC. At the height of the Great Depression the CCC was a saving grace for the some 3 million Americans it employed. In its 9 years the CCC planted around 3 billion trees, constructed bridges and built over 13 thousand miles of trails.

So if you need to take a break from the modern, fast paced, technologically obsessed world we live in, visit a National Park. What you will see is the work of past generations and of present generations who believe that parts of this earth should be kept safe in all their magnificent beauty. With how fast the world is changing, it’s comforting to know that there will be a few things in this world that future generations will be able to see as we saw it.

“If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them something more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.” – Lyndon B. Johnson

 

 

 

 

A Southerner in Korea

By Corinne Boyer

      In a small town 45 minutes south of Seoul, a few hundred Korean students learned to speak English with a slight southern twang.  And I was there.  From 2009 to 2010, I lived in Yong-in, South Korea and worked as an English teacher.  After graduating from the College of Charleston with a B.A. in Communication, I decided to see the world.  I moved to New York City after graduation.  I interned for record labels, waited tables, and worked as a nanny.  You name it, I did it.  
      One day, after one of my bosses called me an idiot, I spent the afternoon researching job opportunities abroad.  I discovered I could teach English abroad with a B.A. or a B.S. in any subject.  After finding a reputable recruiting agency, I decided that South Korea was going to be my new home.  I chose South Korea based on the paid vacation, housing stipend, and salary offered.  While my friends began getting married, I purchased a one way ticket to a continent I had never visited.

Maymester English Class Goes to England and Scotland

by Mike Kirst

Eighteen of us, two instructors and sixteen students, banded together in May to visit Great Britain and experience firsthand the places that generated our classroom literature. We left with only theoretical knowledge and returned moved and matured. Beyond that, eighteen people can’t live so closely together for eleven days without gaining insights into ourselves and each other and forming relationships that couldn’t have been predicted.

Civil Rights Tour 2011

Photo from TTC Tour

By Glendalys De Jesus

The Civil Rights Tour to Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia was an incredible experience. I feel so fortunate to have been able to be a part of it. I honestly have no idea where to begin because there is just so much that I can share. The way I felt while on the trip and how I feel after, is hard to put into a few words. The places we went to and the people we encountered have honestly changed something within me.


I was one of eight TTC students who toured important civil rights sites throughout the South. I traveled with Julia Gibbs, Marilyn Gibbs, Samuel Iquinto, Porsha Little, Shardonne’ Simpson, Crystal Williams and Akeem Young. We visited Tuskegee, Montgomery, Selma and Birmingham, Alabama, as well as Memphis, Tennessee and Atlanta, Georgia. Regina Smart and Vince Ashby of Palmer Campus organized the tour.

Wanna Go to England and Scotland during Maymester?

Photo provided by Mike Kirst

by Mike Kirst

Hey, I wouldn’t make this offer to just anybody. A group of students will be taking ENG 205 or 206 as a Maymester course, and just to spice up the course a little, we’ll be taking the class to London and Edinburgh. After committing to nonrefundable airline tickets, one of our students had to drop out.

So…just for you, we have an airline ticket, hotel and hostel reservations, and an agenda of sites and study.

The course runs from May 7 to May 24. We’ll be in the classroom on May 7, 8, and 9. On May 10, we’ll hop on a plane and fly to London, where we’ll spend seven days. We’ll take the train to Edinburgh on May 18, and then fly home from there on the twenty-first. We’ll have three more days in the classroom, and the students will go home tired, happy, and with three hours of English literature credit in their hot little hands. And those are not just ordinary credit hours. They are highly transferrable, and a 200 level English course is needed for an Associate’s degree.