thedrifter
01-26-09, 09:07 AM
Area teachers attend Marine workshop at Parris Island, S.C.
By Antrenise Cole
Times Staff Writer
Published: Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 4:48 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 4:49 p.m.
"When we got on the buses that morning going to Parris Island, it was dark.
They explained that when they bring recruits in, they tell them to put their heads down. Sometimes, they go in circles to make the drive longer than it actually is because they want the recruits to feel like they are dependent on each other and removed from civilization.
"When we got there, the drill instructor got on the bus and started yelling ‘Get off my bus ... stand on these yellow footprints ... stand with your heels together and feet at a 45-degree angle ... You will stand tall with your shoulders back, chest out, looking forward ... don’t look me in the eyes.’
"I know that it was nothing like what the real recruits go through, but it’s almost an unnerving experience at first."
This is how Dianne Owensby, a history teacher at Etowah High School, described her first encounter at the U.S. Marine Corps Educators Workshop at Parris Island, S.C.
Owensby recently attended the workshop with six other educators in the area — Southside High School teachers Denisse Lumpkin and Penny Tolbert, Gaston School teacher Suzanne Hollen and principal Miria King-Garner and Sardis High School teachers Lisa Hicks and Arlena Wright.
The annual workshop gives educators a first-hand experience of what recruits go through when training to become Marines.
"This workshop was one of the most awesome experiences I have ever had," King-Garner said. "The Marines showcased their strengths, but also shared some of the problems they have worked through. They gave us many opportunities to communicate with recruits and Marines.
"They enacted scenarios in which we could experience the feelings of new recruits — their anxieties, fears, pride and esprit d’ corps. They have so much to offer today’s youth, in training for lifetime skills, education and character building. This was an experience I would highly recommend to all educators."
Owensby said out of all the activities in which the educators participated during the four-day trip, standing on the yellow footprints, where all recruits stand when arriving for boot camp, is what stands out the most.
"I’ve had several students who went into the Marine Corps," she said. "It’s the starting point for those kids, and I wondered what was on their minds. I was thinking that I didn’t know if I could handle someone barking at me continuously the way that they do. I’ve always been told Marines were the biggest and toughest — the few, the proud. When I saw a glance of what their life is like, the respect that I have for the Marine Corps and any person in any of the armed forces went up so tremendously, because it’s amazing that they can handle the pressure they’re under on a day-to-day basis."
Owensby said returning home was a major transition for her.
"I came home the first day, and I was kind of in culture shock," she said. "I didn’t have anybody telling me that I had to be in this place by this time. No hurry, hurry, hurry, move, move, move. We really take for granted being able just to get up and leisurely do what we want to do."
Tolbert said each day of the workshop was planned to ensure the participants experienced as much as possible during the four days.
"There were briefings held at each department, such as the drill instructor school, the aviation department and the processing center, so we had a better understanding of what the training involved and how it related to the making of a Marine," she said. "We also were able to observe various aspects of recruit training such as the confidence course and the crucible, which is the 54-hour final test before becoming a Marine."
The educators also took a tour of the air station squadron and spoke to pilots and Marines who work on planes.
They visited the Marine Corps Museum and saw a graduation ceremony.
Educators also had the opportunity to fire M16 rifles on the rifle range, which Owensby said was her favorite activity.
"The targets we were shooting at on the firing range were 250 to 500 yards away," she said. "I’ve handled guns for most of my life, rifles especially. For me, shooting the M16 was about the equivalent of shooting my .22 rifle. I haven’t gone target shooting in a long time, and I realized that my accuracy isn’t what it used to be. It was amazing being able to shoot the rifles that the recruits train with.
"It’s just a different feeling being on that range."
Tolbert said she enjoyed seeing how recruits were trained to become Marines — "seeing how young men and women like those I work with every day are transformed into United States Marines, and how consistency and discipline can be incorporated to make these men and women into honest, hard-working people ready to defend our nation and beliefs and also be better citizens of our country."
Tolbert plans to share what she learned at the workshop with students interested in joining the Marines.
"We learned how true it is that the Marines are a brotherhood and will be there for each other the rest of their lives," she said. "We also learned things that could keep a person from being accepted into the Marines, so I can relay those lessons to anyone interested so they can be better prepared if the Marine Corps is even a remote possibility for their future."
Ellie
By Antrenise Cole
Times Staff Writer
Published: Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 4:48 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 4:49 p.m.
"When we got on the buses that morning going to Parris Island, it was dark.
They explained that when they bring recruits in, they tell them to put their heads down. Sometimes, they go in circles to make the drive longer than it actually is because they want the recruits to feel like they are dependent on each other and removed from civilization.
"When we got there, the drill instructor got on the bus and started yelling ‘Get off my bus ... stand on these yellow footprints ... stand with your heels together and feet at a 45-degree angle ... You will stand tall with your shoulders back, chest out, looking forward ... don’t look me in the eyes.’
"I know that it was nothing like what the real recruits go through, but it’s almost an unnerving experience at first."
This is how Dianne Owensby, a history teacher at Etowah High School, described her first encounter at the U.S. Marine Corps Educators Workshop at Parris Island, S.C.
Owensby recently attended the workshop with six other educators in the area — Southside High School teachers Denisse Lumpkin and Penny Tolbert, Gaston School teacher Suzanne Hollen and principal Miria King-Garner and Sardis High School teachers Lisa Hicks and Arlena Wright.
The annual workshop gives educators a first-hand experience of what recruits go through when training to become Marines.
"This workshop was one of the most awesome experiences I have ever had," King-Garner said. "The Marines showcased their strengths, but also shared some of the problems they have worked through. They gave us many opportunities to communicate with recruits and Marines.
"They enacted scenarios in which we could experience the feelings of new recruits — their anxieties, fears, pride and esprit d’ corps. They have so much to offer today’s youth, in training for lifetime skills, education and character building. This was an experience I would highly recommend to all educators."
Owensby said out of all the activities in which the educators participated during the four-day trip, standing on the yellow footprints, where all recruits stand when arriving for boot camp, is what stands out the most.
"I’ve had several students who went into the Marine Corps," she said. "It’s the starting point for those kids, and I wondered what was on their minds. I was thinking that I didn’t know if I could handle someone barking at me continuously the way that they do. I’ve always been told Marines were the biggest and toughest — the few, the proud. When I saw a glance of what their life is like, the respect that I have for the Marine Corps and any person in any of the armed forces went up so tremendously, because it’s amazing that they can handle the pressure they’re under on a day-to-day basis."
Owensby said returning home was a major transition for her.
"I came home the first day, and I was kind of in culture shock," she said. "I didn’t have anybody telling me that I had to be in this place by this time. No hurry, hurry, hurry, move, move, move. We really take for granted being able just to get up and leisurely do what we want to do."
Tolbert said each day of the workshop was planned to ensure the participants experienced as much as possible during the four days.
"There were briefings held at each department, such as the drill instructor school, the aviation department and the processing center, so we had a better understanding of what the training involved and how it related to the making of a Marine," she said. "We also were able to observe various aspects of recruit training such as the confidence course and the crucible, which is the 54-hour final test before becoming a Marine."
The educators also took a tour of the air station squadron and spoke to pilots and Marines who work on planes.
They visited the Marine Corps Museum and saw a graduation ceremony.
Educators also had the opportunity to fire M16 rifles on the rifle range, which Owensby said was her favorite activity.
"The targets we were shooting at on the firing range were 250 to 500 yards away," she said. "I’ve handled guns for most of my life, rifles especially. For me, shooting the M16 was about the equivalent of shooting my .22 rifle. I haven’t gone target shooting in a long time, and I realized that my accuracy isn’t what it used to be. It was amazing being able to shoot the rifles that the recruits train with.
"It’s just a different feeling being on that range."
Tolbert said she enjoyed seeing how recruits were trained to become Marines — "seeing how young men and women like those I work with every day are transformed into United States Marines, and how consistency and discipline can be incorporated to make these men and women into honest, hard-working people ready to defend our nation and beliefs and also be better citizens of our country."
Tolbert plans to share what she learned at the workshop with students interested in joining the Marines.
"We learned how true it is that the Marines are a brotherhood and will be there for each other the rest of their lives," she said. "We also learned things that could keep a person from being accepted into the Marines, so I can relay those lessons to anyone interested so they can be better prepared if the Marine Corps is even a remote possibility for their future."
Ellie