I moved to Phoenix a week before graduating from Ohio University. TFA's induction was a piece of cake next to what I would be experiencing for the next 6 weeks. Anyway, I flew back to Ohio to graduate and then, like a true jetsetter, I was back to Arizona within 48 hours for the notorious Institute.
Let me pause my story right there and provide you with a little insight to how the whole Teach For America application/initiation process works. Not unlike Peace Corps or AmeriCorps, with TFA, you fill out an online application as the first of several steps toward acceptance. There are a few rounds of interviews that follow. First, a phone interview (which I skipped and, therefore, am not very knowledgeable about) followed by a final interview. This final interview is legendary; it is essentially a day long process of group interviews, one-on-one interviews, the presentation of a 5-minute lesson plan, short assessments, etc. Mine was the week after spring break and I taught the other 11 or so applicants in the room all there is to know about primary and secondary colors. They were, without a doubt, fascinated and left that day with a newfound proficiency in paint mixing. But I digress... Anyway, after weeks of waiting on the edge of your seat, you finally find out your fate - unless you're like me and you're wait-listed for one more month. I was specifically put on a wait list for Phoenix, since there was a pending bill to be voted on by Arizona that would either result in raised taxes and, therefore, increased funding for public services (i.e. education) or no raise in taxes and decreased funding for said public services. Lucky for me, the fine people of Arizona bit the bullet, raised taxes, and provided me with a teaching job, making me one of the fortunate 2010 college graduates to be employed upon graduation (woo hoo!). Word has it that in 2010, somewhere in the ballpark of 45,000 people applied to TFA and roughly 4,500 were accepted. I feel like one of John Calvin's Elect (and can boldly make that statement after teaching it a few weeks ago to my World History class - also, if you ever have any questions about Japanese feudalism, hit me up - I know all there is to know about the daiymos, the shoguns, and the samurais).
Moving on: once you're accepted into TFA, about 1.34 rain forests are sacrificed to move you along in the teaching certificate acquisition process. Fingerprints are taken, forms are filled out and mailed to various recipients, and you are enrolled in either a graduate school master's program for education or some similar certificate program. I chose the graduate school path (insert obligatory Sundevils' cheer here), thus (seemingly) doubling my paperwork to fill out and return. One plane ticket and 4 hour flight later, I find myself with about two dozen other wait-listed-turn-accepted TFA individuals at a Radisson in Phoenix preparing to take the AEPA (Arizona's educator's proficiency exam, essentially). After a few short study sessions, followed by celebrations at Rose and Crown downtown, the horde and I join our fellow 2010 corps members at Arizona State University's Tempe campus' resident halls for a week of Induction. During this time we're learning about TFA, its mission, expectations, and getting to know one another and a few alumni/2009 corps members. It was, basically, the calm before the storm that is Institute.
Institute is notorious. It will drive certain people off the deep end, given the average of 4-5 hours of sleep per night (or, in my case 1.5 on one particular night... It. Was. Rough.). During institute, several corps are brought together to one location learn effective teaching methods and best practices, and are put on the spot while teaching at summer schools in the surrounding city's area. I was fortunate to have Institute in the city where I was placed (Phoenix), which meant plenty of time on the weekends for apartment hunting and readjusting to living in a desert. Between teaching in the mornings, instructional sessions in the afternoon, and lesson planning into the wee hours of the morning, sleep deprivation came with full force - but the weekends were savored and I learned a lot about what I had just committed at least two years of my life to; it also helped me understand exactly what the achievement gap is and see it firsthand.
(My classroom collab group on our last day teaching during Institute)
Now that it's over, I've just finished/survived my first semester teaching. It was grueling at times, and I have myriad areas upon which to improve, but I have had a lot of fun in the last six months (which is easy to say now that I'm sitting in my hometown public library allegedly lesson planning for the first week or so back... Needless to say as a teacher I've mastered and perfected the art of procrastination). Of course, teaching high school special education isn't easy, but it's growing on me.
So, back to this whole blogging bit. It's my hope that I'll use this more regularly than not to give updates about my life out west and, eventually, my continuation with my Peace Corps application (quick recap: I applied, was nominated for Sub-Saharan francophone Africa leaving July 2010, got dental and legal clearance, but was medically rejected because of food allergies, successfully appealed, was deferred for a year, joined TFA, then they emailed me saying to restart the application/medical clearance process in February). I think I'll find this as an easier method of communication between friends and family, since I can fit it into my schedule and use it as a semi-more productive procrastination outlet than, say, Youtube or Facebook stalking... We'll see. Until then!
