Teach For America Institute + Other Info

I’m finally in Phoenix for the infamous Teach For America Institute, which is a 5 week training program of teaching and masters level classes on curriculum and literacy.

Last summer, I interned with Teach For America at the Chicago institute, so I had seen the entire summer operation from a different perspective. As I prepared to make the cross-country move and start my life as a teacher, I felt confident that I had the road map to avoid the pitfalls at institute. Sleep, don’t stress about small things out of your control, plan ahead, find a strong supporting network, etc.

I still have this road map, but the road is filled with a lot more potholes and “tar snakes” (as Pops told me) that will make my summer experience challenging but wonderfully exciting.

I absolutely cannot wait to meet my students for the summer and this fall. Together, we will achieve academically and personally in a community of passionate, curious learners.

Random information that might deserve a blog post, but for the sake of time, I’ll put it all here.

1. COLORADO CORPS: After meeting the 2011 Colorado corps, I’m actually more excited to be in Denver (I never thought that was possible). We have approximately 240 corps members from 138 different colleges and universities from around the country. Even with all of our differences, we’ve all noticed a refreshingly relaxed vibe from our corps, especially compared to some other regions. It’s hard to explain, so I’ll try to explain sometime later.
On a similar note, people have been asking why I’m excited to be in Colorado. Here are a few reasons:
- mountains & the outdoors
- skiing, skiing, and more skiing
- Colorado’s educational landscape is full of innovative and entrepreneurial leaders who have embraced a progressive approach to ensuring educational EQUITY for all students (not just “opportunity” for a great education; instead looking at outcomes)
- Denver has the most microbreweries per capita in the country
- My school (West Denver Prep) is one of the highest achieving school networks in the entire state!

2. INSTITUTE SCHOOL: I’m a member of the Valley View Dragons school team this summer. I’ll be collaboratively teaching 3rd/4th grade with three other corps members for approximately 5 weeks; the district has identified math and literacy as the two content areas for us to focus on during the summer program, and I’m extremely excited to work with this age. I’ll be focusing a lot on the foundations of math and literacy, so when I begin teaching 7th grade math in August, I’ll have a better grasp of how my curriculum builds on the basics.

One final thing about Valley View—the school has a full working garden and animal habitat on site. We have goats and other animals to greet us everyday. Yes, I’m excited.

3. MY “COACH”: One aspect of the support network for this summer is a “Corps Member Advisor” (CMA from here on out), who serves as a coach of sorts to improve teaching. Each CMA has 12 corps members (first year teachers), and the CMA works directly with these corps members to provide feedback, support, evaluation, etc.

I’m incredibly excited to have Dr. Felicia Clark (http://mat.usc.edu/felicia-clark/) as my CMA. Dr. Clark is a 1990 Teach For America corps member, which means she was a member of the FIRST cohort of teachers. Now after 20 years, the 2011 cohort of teachers is over 5,300 strong, and I’m looking forward to learning from Dr. Clark throughout this summer and in the future. As a math teacher, she will be an invaluable resource as I work to become my best (teacher) self.

4. MY VISION: I will have a classroom community of “every second learners” where each person learns through discovery, embraces curiosity, and asks questions. We will focus on academic achievement in an atmosphere of equality and respect where vulnerability is celebrated, so that together we can grow as a classroom community. Finally, we will adopt a mindset of “community centered collaboration with a spirit of creative entrepreneurship.”