Matriculation

The other day I formally accepted the offer to join Teach for America. Once I did that, I was given a flood of more information on the pre-institute work and my official TFA email address. I was asked to submit my address where all of my information would be sent to and to answer the question "why are you joining Teach for America?" My response, you ask?

"By joining Teach for America, I have the ability to change the lives of children living in low-income communities who, in many cases, may not have been given the opportunity to succeed."

Thought it was a pretty good response. In addition to that, I gained access to tfanet.org, which is this awesome website with resources uploaded from other TFA Corps members. They have lesson plans, message boards, career counseling and a host of other things that members can make use of. I'm looking forward to having time to completely go through the site and see everything that they have to offer.
Later in the spring I'll be receiving more information about my pre-institute work, which includes school observations and readings. They estimate that it will equate to about 30 hours of work to be completed over the course of the spring. Hopefully the hours that I already do for Jumpstart can count towards my classroom observation hours. Otherwise, I'll have to schedule even more time into my day. 

What I need to start worrying about now, though, is the Praxis exam. To become a certified teacher I have to pass the Praxis II: English exam. It consists of two parts--content knowledge and pedagogy (teaching styles). I'm not so much concerned about the content knowledge as I am about the pedagogy section. I haven't taken any education classes, which means I'm kind of taking a shot in the dark on this part. I'm going to need to spend a serious amount of time studying over the next 6 weeks. The exam is Saturday, March 13 and that is also the day I was supposed to get back from spring break. My roommate was really understanding, though, and we've changed our schedule so that we'll be back in DC on Thursday night. That will give me all day on Friday to relax/recover and review for the test. We're going to New Orleans for break and we've been there before so that means we can pick and choose what we want to go see. It also means I can take it easy and maybe get some reviewing in at some point in the week. After all, what better place is there to study than on the balcony of your hotel in the middle of the French Quarter, one block from Bourbon Street? I certainly can't think of any.

Officially accepting the TFA offer has kind of made this all a little more real than it already was. I'm beyond excited, because this is something I really wanted and worked hard to get. But now comes the time when I need to start saving for an apartment, furniture and a new car (which my parents have already told me I need to buy/lease). They have suggested I lease a new Honda Civic, but I would rather buy a 2008 or 2009 Ford Escape, which is what I think I will do. I'm hesitant about having to take on all of these different things. Realistically, I know I'll be able to handle them, but it is still slightly intimidating. 

One of my friends is applying to the next TFA deadline and, by chance, was going to list Charlotte as her number 2 or 3 choice of places. If she gets it accepted to the Charlotte Corps then we've already decided we're going to get an apartment together. It would make life infinitely less stressful because I know we'd get along really well and she's got a very good chance of being accepted. So (for now) I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she's accepted to Charlotte and I don't have to find someone to live with in 5 weeks over the summer. I have no doubt I could do it, but it would certainly help to lower my stress level a bit. And that is definitely a good thing. 

Still, I know this is all going to be a great experience (even when it is a little terrifying and intimidating). 

It Starts With a Choice

A week ago, I was offered a position in Teach for America's 2010 Charlotte Corps to teach high school English in an under performing school. The realization that I  had been accepted to the program, after so much planning and hoping, was exhilarating. There was so much to process! From the fact that I will be moving to a city that I have never visited, to the striking reality that graduation is in just over three months--it has been exciting and overwhelming at the same time.
I am the first of my friends to have a definite job lined up for after graduation. While reading in the news the other day that 10% of Americans are currently unemployed, it was comforting to know that I will not be moving home after graduation, to live in my bedroom and work part-time at my uncle's liquor store (although I'm sure I could make manager by 30). At  the same time, however, the idea of the real world is more than a little terrifying. Before being accepted into Teach for America, I could sit around with friends and talk about how we were going to move to Europe and live in the streets of Paris for a year, or go on a cross-country road trip and survive on what little savings we have. Now, I'm faced with the prospect of moving to a city I have never seen, where I don't know anyone. I have to get an apartment, buy a new car, furnish said apartment and acclimate myself to a completely new life, all while starting a brand new job in a career I have not necessarily trained for.
The feeling I have is similar to the one I felt in the spring of my senior year of high school. As the universal deadline of May 1 approached, I found myself increasingly uneasy about selecting the college I would spend the next four years at. At the last moment I made my decision--The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. I would be a politics major and I had dreams of one day being a member of the White House Press Corps (I was a little naive and idealistic). In August my parents dropped me off and I was left in a new city to embark on an experience that, no matter where I went, was bound to change me. Four years later I'm not where I envisioned myself being. I switched my major to history in my sophomore year and picked up a double minor in politics and media. There have been countless times where I have questioned whether or not this school was the right choice for me and, on more than one occasion, I have thought about what it would have been like if I had chosen another university. But I've made some of the best friends I could have hoped for, I've had fun and I think I'm a better person now than I was when I arrived as a nervous, shy, 18 year old on that blazingly hot day in late August 2006. And if those three things are true, than I have to believe that I have made the right choices and that they have delivered me to this point for a reason. This is the thought that comforts me. In the end, as nervous as I am about moving to a new city and starting a new life, I know that I wouldn't be able to make this decision if I hadn't made the correct choices earlier. I've always been able to choose what was best for me, and I believe this is the best thing now.
Last year, several of my friends studied abroad throughout Europe. While they were gone, they kept blogs that helped everyone back here at CUA stay in touch with them and follow what they were doing in their respective countries. I was inspired by this and have decided that over the next two years, while doing Teach for America, I am going to keep a blog. Next year, my friends will be scattered around the country (from Boston to DC, Texas to California and abroad). As much as I would like to talk to them all on a daily basis, like I do now, I know that won't always be possible. This blog, then, will let me keep them up to date with what I'm doing in Charlotte. To anyone else who happens to find this on the internet, I hope they find it useful in understanding Teach for America, how it functions and how it has an impact on not only the students, but also the teachers.