Teacher Boot Camp
I am completely overwhelmed by this experience. Last night I went to bed at about 1 in the morning, trying to read everything for the next day. I woke up in anticipation of my alarm at about 5 (yes, 4 hours of sleep), showered, ate breakfast, dressed up, and left for my first day of school at Robinson Elementary School in Houston at 7:15.
There are 91 Delta Corps members this year. I met most of them last night at the welcome barbeque, where we all sat together. I also saw two other people from Cornell, Lori (my COM301 TA) and Ian A. In the Delta Corps, two people are from Masco (me and Dave Nelson) and two from Cornell (me and Lin). Way to represent! There are 59 2nd year corps members who will be returning to teach in the Delta and about 50 who have kept returning from previous years. That makes about 200 Teach for America teachers in the Mississippi Delta this coming year. To round out the numbers, there are 900 people at Houston Institute, and approximately 2500 total 2005 corps members between Houston, LA, and Philly. Over 17,000 people applied. For those of you who like statistics, that's an acceptance rate of 14.7%, approximately as selective as Brown and more selective than Cornell and Dartmouth.
The principal of Robinson is a Houston Teach for America alumni, and she seems like a wonderful woman. She and our site director, who also seems amazing, welcomed us to the school, and then we broke down into the groups we will be working with all week. My group has 16 teachers-to-be-in-a-week. We did introductory and logistical things, received lots of information, had a curriculum meeting on Teaching as Leadership, and started to look over our curriculum for the summer school. I will be team-teaching a fourth grade class for 4 weeks, starting next week. My group has one other girl who will be in the Delta and two boys and everyone seems very competent and I think that we will get along well. There are four areas we will be working on: writing, reading, science, and math. Each of us will teach one of those competencies for a whole week, in addition to small-group tutoring "math and literacy hour" every day. Then, the last week, each of us will teach for one entire day. Sink or swim, baby.
Everyone here is very nice and you can see that they are trying so hard and that they are committed to continuing to try so hard. I'm trying to focus on meeting the people from the Delta corps, which actually isn't too hard because I think we are the first or second biggest corps here, and we all live on the same floors in this musty, mildewy, tall, ugly dormitory. Also, the Delta regional staff have told us that Delta corps is traditionally one of the most close-knit corps despote our size and geographic dispersement, and I think we're all trying to live up to that standard.
Tonight was our induction ceremony, and I have to say that I really needed it. I feel closer to the Teach for America mission now as well as my Delta corps. Before the induction, we had dinner together at one of the dining halls and practiced some Delta cheers for the ceremony that a committee made up last night.
Cheer One (to the tune of "C is for Cookie"): D is for Delta, that's good enough for me. Oh, D is for Delta, that's good enough for me. D is for Delta, that's good enough for me, oh, Delta Delta Delta starts with D. Robot! (Everyone starts dancing like a robot.)
Cheer Two (to the tune of something I don't know): Da da da da da FRIED CHICKEN! (rubbing tummy) Da da da da da MOSQUITOS! (slapping arms) Da da da da da RANCH DRESSING! (miming drinking it like water) Da da da da da THE RIVER! (making arm waves) DELTA! (making a Delta hand symbol.) (The da da das were accompanied by mimed conga lines.)
Cheer Three (call and response): When I say Delta, you say WHAT. Delta (WHAT). Delta (WHAT). When I say Delta, you say CORPS. Delta (CORPS). Delta (CORPS). When I say Delta, you say CHICKEN. Delta (CHICKEN). Delta (CHICKEN). When I say Delta, you say RIVER. Delta (RIVER). Delta (RIVER). (and so on)
Cheer Four: M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I, ARKANSAS! M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I, ARKANSAS! M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I, ARKANSAS! DELTA!
As you can see, they weren't the most sophisticated cheers. But when we got to the induction, in an auditorium here on campus, everyone was cheering in their regional groups. And it was earshatteringly loud. But also really invigorating. And after an 8-4 day of non-stop information and learning and discussing (I mean non-stop. NO breaks. We didn't even stop learning for lunch, we worked right through it), we really needed to be invigorated.
One of the girls in my 16-member group was already talking about dropping out. People were tired and overwhelmed and there is so much that we need to know, it's very daunting. And the people who are running the institute really believe in TFA's mission and they keep brining it up. So much so that a part of me wanted to slack off, to rebel against this system which is really being force-fed to us. Yes, we want to stop educational inequality. Yes, we want every child to have acceess to a high-quality education. But hearing it over and over kicks in my internal teenager who says, "Don't tell ME what to do and think and how to behave."
The induction ceremony brought everyone back. A TFA alum who won the 2005 best teacher award (for the United States) gave a talk, and then 5 members of different 2003 corps talked. They stood in a line and each read three journal entries, taking turns, from parts of their first or second year of teaching. All of the stories focused on the teacher's struggle to help one particular student who was behind really acheive and all of them ended with success and with the phrase, "and that is why I teach for America." Hearing the name of the program used in that slightly different way is something that really impacts me every time I hear it, and reminds me what I am here to do. I'm here to teach, and I'm doing it for America. I want to improve this country by improving the opportunities my class of students will have.
Afterwards, as everyone herded back to Moody Towers, the tone had really changed. Lin came up to my room and he and my roommate Elizabeth and I had a really frank discussion of why we were doing TFA and what we hoped to gain and to impart. We also talked a bit about our families and backgrounds and the Delta. It was really inspiring. Now what I really want is to find out my placement in the Delta, which will happen on July 1st.
Tomorrow looks like it will be just as busy. I have to get the bus at 7:15 again, we will be in intense sessions at school until 4, take the bus back (about 1/2 an hour), have dinner, and then have a "math and literacy hour" information/learning session and a campus tour until 10pm. It's 11 now, so I'm going to go to bed after I review some reading...
There are 91 Delta Corps members this year. I met most of them last night at the welcome barbeque, where we all sat together. I also saw two other people from Cornell, Lori (my COM301 TA) and Ian A. In the Delta Corps, two people are from Masco (me and Dave Nelson) and two from Cornell (me and Lin). Way to represent! There are 59 2nd year corps members who will be returning to teach in the Delta and about 50 who have kept returning from previous years. That makes about 200 Teach for America teachers in the Mississippi Delta this coming year. To round out the numbers, there are 900 people at Houston Institute, and approximately 2500 total 2005 corps members between Houston, LA, and Philly. Over 17,000 people applied. For those of you who like statistics, that's an acceptance rate of 14.7%, approximately as selective as Brown and more selective than Cornell and Dartmouth.
The principal of Robinson is a Houston Teach for America alumni, and she seems like a wonderful woman. She and our site director, who also seems amazing, welcomed us to the school, and then we broke down into the groups we will be working with all week. My group has 16 teachers-to-be-in-a-week. We did introductory and logistical things, received lots of information, had a curriculum meeting on Teaching as Leadership, and started to look over our curriculum for the summer school. I will be team-teaching a fourth grade class for 4 weeks, starting next week. My group has one other girl who will be in the Delta and two boys and everyone seems very competent and I think that we will get along well. There are four areas we will be working on: writing, reading, science, and math. Each of us will teach one of those competencies for a whole week, in addition to small-group tutoring "math and literacy hour" every day. Then, the last week, each of us will teach for one entire day. Sink or swim, baby.
Everyone here is very nice and you can see that they are trying so hard and that they are committed to continuing to try so hard. I'm trying to focus on meeting the people from the Delta corps, which actually isn't too hard because I think we are the first or second biggest corps here, and we all live on the same floors in this musty, mildewy, tall, ugly dormitory. Also, the Delta regional staff have told us that Delta corps is traditionally one of the most close-knit corps despote our size and geographic dispersement, and I think we're all trying to live up to that standard.
Tonight was our induction ceremony, and I have to say that I really needed it. I feel closer to the Teach for America mission now as well as my Delta corps. Before the induction, we had dinner together at one of the dining halls and practiced some Delta cheers for the ceremony that a committee made up last night.
Cheer One (to the tune of "C is for Cookie"): D is for Delta, that's good enough for me. Oh, D is for Delta, that's good enough for me. D is for Delta, that's good enough for me, oh, Delta Delta Delta starts with D. Robot! (Everyone starts dancing like a robot.)
Cheer Two (to the tune of something I don't know): Da da da da da FRIED CHICKEN! (rubbing tummy) Da da da da da MOSQUITOS! (slapping arms) Da da da da da RANCH DRESSING! (miming drinking it like water) Da da da da da THE RIVER! (making arm waves) DELTA! (making a Delta hand symbol.) (The da da das were accompanied by mimed conga lines.)
Cheer Three (call and response): When I say Delta, you say WHAT. Delta (WHAT). Delta (WHAT). When I say Delta, you say CORPS. Delta (CORPS). Delta (CORPS). When I say Delta, you say CHICKEN. Delta (CHICKEN). Delta (CHICKEN). When I say Delta, you say RIVER. Delta (RIVER). Delta (RIVER). (and so on)
Cheer Four: M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I, ARKANSAS! M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I, ARKANSAS! M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I, ARKANSAS! DELTA!
As you can see, they weren't the most sophisticated cheers. But when we got to the induction, in an auditorium here on campus, everyone was cheering in their regional groups. And it was earshatteringly loud. But also really invigorating. And after an 8-4 day of non-stop information and learning and discussing (I mean non-stop. NO breaks. We didn't even stop learning for lunch, we worked right through it), we really needed to be invigorated.
One of the girls in my 16-member group was already talking about dropping out. People were tired and overwhelmed and there is so much that we need to know, it's very daunting. And the people who are running the institute really believe in TFA's mission and they keep brining it up. So much so that a part of me wanted to slack off, to rebel against this system which is really being force-fed to us. Yes, we want to stop educational inequality. Yes, we want every child to have acceess to a high-quality education. But hearing it over and over kicks in my internal teenager who says, "Don't tell ME what to do and think and how to behave."
The induction ceremony brought everyone back. A TFA alum who won the 2005 best teacher award (for the United States) gave a talk, and then 5 members of different 2003 corps talked. They stood in a line and each read three journal entries, taking turns, from parts of their first or second year of teaching. All of the stories focused on the teacher's struggle to help one particular student who was behind really acheive and all of them ended with success and with the phrase, "and that is why I teach for America." Hearing the name of the program used in that slightly different way is something that really impacts me every time I hear it, and reminds me what I am here to do. I'm here to teach, and I'm doing it for America. I want to improve this country by improving the opportunities my class of students will have.
Afterwards, as everyone herded back to Moody Towers, the tone had really changed. Lin came up to my room and he and my roommate Elizabeth and I had a really frank discussion of why we were doing TFA and what we hoped to gain and to impart. We also talked a bit about our families and backgrounds and the Delta. It was really inspiring. Now what I really want is to find out my placement in the Delta, which will happen on July 1st.
Tomorrow looks like it will be just as busy. I have to get the bus at 7:15 again, we will be in intense sessions at school until 4, take the bus back (about 1/2 an hour), have dinner, and then have a "math and literacy hour" information/learning session and a campus tour until 10pm. It's 11 now, so I'm going to go to bed after I review some reading...
posted by Jessica at 12:32 AM
4 Comments:
sounds like you might have to start eating CHICKEN!
What are the other Corps represented in Houston?
Let's see. Other than the Delta? Rio Grande Valley, Houston, Southern Louisiana, Greater New Orleans, Phoenix, Atlanta, South Dakota, Charlotte, and North Carolina, as far as I know (there might be more I'm forgetting, though.)
Jessica,
My name is Christopher Barnes and I am a 97 TFA alum. I was placed in Baltimore and am still here. Evidentally your mother is the boss of one of my best friends - Brendan Walsh. He told me about your blog, so I hope you don't mind me checking it out and writing to you. Reading your piece really brought back memories that are actually impossible to forget. Moody Towers, ah those were the days. Both my wife and I spent our time down there (though we weren't even dating at the time). We were both at Anderson Elementary and I clearly recall the early bus (that I missed a few times and they were about to put me on an improvement plan or some craziness). My internal teenager was definitely kicking in as well, hence the missed buses. I got to be good friends with the guy who ran the bus routine. He hated me at first but my incessant tardiness and sarcastics comments eventually won him over. Anyway, I'd love to shed some light on the Houston training, but only if you care to hear. It sounds as if things are going as planned. You're completely overwhelmed and trying to learn to teach on 4 hours of sleep- this was my exact experience.
Incidentally, those Houston kids are angels compared to what you'll be facing in September - more sarcasm. Good luck, take care, and get some sleep.
Christopher Barnes
cbarnes2@loyola.edu
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