Wes' TFA Adventure

Transition to a Teaching Blog

So far a lot of the focus of this blog has been on applying to Teach For America and the application process. Well now all the applications have been submitted and everyone's been notified. What this means for the blog is a shift in my writing. The posts will begin to focus on the process of becoming a teacher and when August comes they will focus on being a teacher. 

As a future educator I hope to utlize the tools of the web to be an effective teacher. Take these two examples of educators using the web to aid in their teaching and aid their students! Theres one caveat: they are not TFA'ers. I encourage you to follow these excellent educators on Twitter and via their insightful blogs. There are so many wonderful blogs and twitter folks out there talking about great stuff and its a wider world out there than the one TFA pushes which leaves one feeling fenced in with the Teach For America only crowd.

The reason why I bring these up is because TFA has created its own social network. This is a great resource but it only gives you teaching from the perspective of TFA'ers. I prefer to have a more diversified view as I reach out to converse/collaborate with other educators. The Ed Reform movement is a lot more than Teach For America and if all one does is read everything from the perspective of TFA they are only getting a tip of a wide reaching and rather enriching community. 

@msstewart who blogs at http://inforgood.wordpress.com/

@johnspencer who writes a WONDERFUL blog at http://jtspencer.blogspot.com/

Since I've gotten off on that tangent. I'm looking forward to regular blogging about the transition into the corps and my teaching career! Just have to drill it in 

BLOG WEEKLY!!

The Biggest Hypocrite

I may be the biggest hypocrite you have ever come across. Last week I petitioned to have my region re-assigned from the MS Delta to Charlotte. My advice in the past on this blog has been the exact opposite arguing that your regional preference was imperative to the successful placement of an applicant that met Teach For America’s high bar for acceptance. I argued that even I with a spouse and a child could make that sacrifice because being in the corps was that important to me.

As it turns out my family and myself cannot realistically make that sacrifice. Not because we don’t want to for reasons such as: we don’t want to live in a rural area, or we want to be close to our mom and dad, or we want to be near where our boy friend or girlfriend will be as is the case for most freshly minted undergrads. The reason we can’t do it: Money. I could not afford relocation from Charlotte, NC to the Mississippi Delta. Yes RPA was right and I was wrong. Everyone has to take the regional preference form differently. But there are some caveats to this statement, which I still think are true.

First I would relocate to the MS Delta region in a heartbeat if Teach For America said it was the only route to being in the corps. It would mean going without health insurance for my spouse and daughter it may mean us going on food stamps but I would make that sacrifice if my petition was not approved and I still was on track for the Delta. Second my advice is still sound for the average perspective CMs. The “average” perspective is a near college graduate, who is young, and single. To be honest moving your items out of your dorm room in Charlotte to Mississippi is not nearly as difficult as moving your entire home and family from Charlotte to Mississippi one is about $1500 less than the other. However with that being said everyone should realistically think about their life circumstances such as the ability to be away from friends, family, and support doing such a difficult program.

Far too often on blogs and from twitter I read of CM’s cherry picking their regional preferences based on sunny weather, beaches, and chicks (or dudes). These individuals act dumbfounded when they get waitlisted “due to the economic climate” even though they ranked Miami and LA as their top choices because GQ said it was a hot place for singles and booty.- Im just being honest. But choosing regions based on being near family and support networks is a great component of the thought process and should be included in the calculation.

That being said I am re-authoring my statement on the regional preference. You can read the updated post here: or read bellow 

Regional Preference Form:

The Teach For America Regional Preference form is probably the most important part of your application. If you get accepted it will determine where you will most likely live for the next two years of your life. It will determine the test you will have to take, the money you will have to save up to move, and it can effect if you land on the waitlist.

This form can be very useful for non-traditional corps members. I define non-traditional as not fitting the “average” norm for prospective CM’s. These individuals may be older and not in college, they may have already started careers and have settled, they may have children or be married, they could have a disease that requires them to be near a world class hospital, or may even have an ailing family member they desire to be near. They may even already have a mortgage or they may know that physiologically it may be more sound to be near friends and family for support during these two challenging years. For these groups the filling out the form could just mean saying you want to stay in your current city or that you want to relocate somewhere where there is family for example your kids grandparents or where there are good schools for your children.

 This form can be very destructive if you are a traditional corps member who’s adventurous, social, and able to find comfort even in challenging places. I define traditional to be someone who is graduating from a four-year institution, is unmarried, has no children, no qualms about being away from support networks, and no extenuating circumstances such as a disease or military service. It would be far more advantageous in my view for the traditional CM “Be placed where most needed”. Far to often I see prospective corps members discussing their forms as if it’s a fantasy relocation game rather than on concrete metrics like family support or finances. While this is my own advice I would caution against going through it from a comfort/luxury standpoint if you consider yourself the traditional applicant. For the love of God please do not fill it out in order to get laid, to be near the beach, or to be apart of some hip single party scene on the weekend. Chances if you do get to your dream town you will not have the time as a new teacher to be chasing tail.

I would suggest picking regions based on the following from most important to least: affordability, testing requirements, economic conditions  (state budget health and state of education in region), support, and finally comfort. Lets give an example of two imaginary regions

Plainsville-

Affordability: as a rural region has a low cost of living. Has plentiful rental housing.

Testing requirements: for English your desired subject area you must take only two Praxis Exams. For your English subject your passing score is set at a 160. Teachers must take 6 credits per year to maintain licensure. This makes the cost of licensure half of that of Metroville’s.

Economic conditions: The state budget is one of the soundest in the country despite the recession. So far there has been little teacher layoffs and the state board of education as well as local districts have been ramping up efforts for more Teach For America CM’s aiming for a 200% increase by 2012.

Support: Your girlfriend of two years lives an hours drive away and your Aunt lives in Plainsville.

Comfort: lacks big social scene. Only one movie theatre in town and the nearest mall is an hour’s drive. Lacks the Whole Foods you usually shop at.

Metroville

Affordability: Expensive apartments are hard to fine but salary is higher at schools to compensate. Due to unions teacher pay is quite high for first year at 45,000.

Testing Requirements: Must take 3 praxis exams and have a high combined passing score when compared to other states. You must take 12 credits per year and be fully licensed by your 2nd year of teaching.

Economic Conditions: Teacher unions have effectively fought a contract dispute that gives TFA CM’s the ability to be fired after their first year. The district in Metroville has already laid off 2000 teachers for the 2010 school year and more layoffs and cutbacks are planed. The state is running a multibillion-dollar deficit and public education is facing a 20% cut in funding next fiscal year.

Support: There is no family near by. You will have to have a long distance relationship with your girlfriend.

Comfort: GQ said Metroville is the #1 city for singles. Has a vibrant social scene, and there are Whole Foods everywhere

For a non-traditional corps member they may already own a home in Metroville. Their kids may already attend school. Their spouse may have a good job in Metroville and moving to Painesville would mean giving up that job and moving their entire family.

For a Traditional corps member a move to Painesville would be a change. There would be no more getting coffee at the Starbucks down the street or the organic grocery they but at least they will have support from their girlfriend and family.

For the traditional CM, all of the drawbacks from Painesville are comfort related- the least important metric in my view. However it is easy to place one’s initial comfort over long term stability. For the non-traditional CM the drawbacks of Painesville would make joining the corps a difficult proposition if totally improbable. This is how the form can be destructive. If the Traditional CM selects Metroville over Painesville they may just be choosing a region that has 4x the request for placements than Painesville and in turn would be increasing their chances of waitlist if admitted into the corps.

The Traditional CM has little to loose if they choose Painesville but a lot of security and economic feasibility if they were to choose Metroville.  I hope this clears up how to use the form to your benefit if you choose to take my advice. For the record I choose my home region because I could not afford relocation of my family to the MS Delta. I would make this move it were the only option (no TFA or move to MS). Fortunately I will be staying in my hometown but will be facing tougher testing requirements, a difficult economic climate, and a district facing a shortfall but if I were a the traditional TFA CM taking on these additional risk wouldn’t be smart. 

Alternative vs. Traditional- Teach For America as a model for traditional certification

As I delve into my pre-instiute work for Teach For America I am noticing that the work is focused directly on the reality of low income classrooms. It is focused on the means to which teachers achieve success in the most neediest classrooms in America. It is more based on the real world experience of teachers rather than an academic approach to primary education. This has been a surprise but a welcome one and it is why Teach For America is defined in the education world as an alternative route to teaching. The traditional route is:

Someone who takes on an education major in college

Goes to a graduate education program

Then gets certified to teach K-12.

Programs like Teach For America take a different approach where the only requirement to start teaching is a four year college degree. Critics of this approach say it puts inexperienced teachers in the classrooms even though they have the foundational understanding of education gained through graduate study. Proponents say that these teachers have been successful despite this gap and not much practical knowledge is gained through the “traditional” model. I agree (but haven’t always) with the latter.

As of late, studies have shown that Teach For America teachers are just as (if not more) effective in regards to student achievement as their traditional peers. Teach For America’s targeted work on focusing internally on its weaknesses, and improving itself exponentially year after year will only prove that targeted non-traditional teacher education is the way to go.

Often I have spoken to teachers who think that their time in graduate school being “certified” was a waste. While in college, I myself worked in my University’s School of Education where it was a battle by the forward thinking administration to get the accreditation bodies on board with a curriculum catered to real classroom experiences. Many complain about entire courses devoted to education theory developed by plenty of dead white men from centuries earlier. Many traditional teachers complain that they have not found this information valuable in helping their students achieve. As I delve into my teacher prep through the alternative route with Teach For America I am noticing that the instruction is very targeted. Rather than “cramming” two years of the traditional education graduate program into a summer institute, Teach For America is focusing teaching observed points of success.

Preparation within this alternative program focuses on concise points of learning that have maximum effectiveness in the classroom. For example, rather than a seminar course on the theoretical notions of education, the targeted Teach For America structure will focus on overcoming specific poverty challenges within the classroom. Within weeks of Teach For America’s summer institute, CMs are placed in Student Teaching positions at local district summer schools- something that doesn’t occur for several semesters within traditional schools of education.

The problem is not with the traditional organizations versus the non-traditional ones. Rather due to the increased scrutiny of the new approach of alternative certification methods, they have been subject to more scrutiny thus making sure teacher training is streamlined, and thus more (or just as effective) when compared to the traditional model. A lot can be learned from this. If traditional learning was to take what Teach For America does over the summer training and through the two years with its CM’s, then most certainly a two year graduate program will prove more effective.

In my opinion, this is the solution: If traditional teaching programs embrace targeted learning the same way alternative programs are forced to do in just one summer than they will ultimately be more effective. The result will be better teachers in our nations schools. Teach For America is NOT the solution. It is simply a means to an end. It can serve as an example of what schools of Education are not getting right and thus allow them to make target curriculum changes in order to better compete and hopefully perform better than their alternative counterparts. Even if Teach For America looses five years down the road the real winners will be America’s students.

Passing the Praxis

Many of the steps towards day one in the classroom is passing the Praxis I and II. As of last Thursday I was notified that I had a passing score for the Praxis II. The Praxis I still remains to be taken but passing the subject based Praxis II was a huge achievement. 

My major in college was Political Science and I am slated to teach secondary English. The English Subject Area Assessment (English Language, Literature, and Composition: Content and Knowledge) posed a difficult challenge. Many of the subjects/topics covered were ones from my Freshman and Sophomore years in college and/or my Sr. year in High School. Since it took me five years to graduate and I am taking the exam nearly a year after my graduation we are talking about content covered in 2005, 2004, and 2003 at most seven years ago.

That being the case I pretty much came into the exam prep a blank slate. The most challenging was having to re-learn the different time periods in British and American literature. In doing so it was imperative to know the authors who wrote in each period, their works, and the content of their works. Interpreting the works of these various authors and the time periods they wrote them in proved extremely challenging. 

I spent a solid two weeks before the exam preparing and taking notes. The main instrument to my success was the purchase of the CliffsTestPrep book for the Praxis II titled Praxis II: English Subject Area Assessments. While to book was organized a little funny it provided great guidance and a decent practice test for the 0041. I would recommend a similar study book for anyone taking the Praxis exams especially if their subject assignment is not in a subject of direct expertise (ie your college major). This book was only $12 off of Amazon and it was worth every penny. It was extremely helpful that about half of that time was during a week off from work. I found myself wondering how I would have done this if I were still in school full time. For this I was grateful not to be currently in school and for the early deadline on getting into Teach For America. 

Exam day was intense. I arrived at my testing site on time but it was terribly crowded and by the time I found a  parking space and ran around the campus I was late. However the line was snaked around the building to get in so I wasn't too late in the end. The detailed interpretation of literature passages took up the most time and were the bulk of the questions. It would have been great to have developed some strategies for answering those longer passages quicker. You have to remain in the room the entire 2hrs. and on my test I ran out of time with around 10 questions left. When the proctor called time I quickly filled in A's on my remaining questions. 

In the end I passed by about 5pts. It would have been great to have done better but I am ecstatic I passed. On a Teach For America conference call myself and other newly accepted CM's were told that the Praxis exams were "walks in the park". I could see for the super high achieving college student this could be an easy task. To conclude: I strongly believe that one should take some time to study for the exams at least to alleviate anxiety. My experience may not be representative of the entire corps which may perform as a group much better on the Praxis than I did. 

Good Luck 

Summer Dilemma: The TFA Institute, The Family, & The lack of cash

This summer will be the second non-traditional summer for Beecher, Wes, and Taylor. Wes has to attend his Teach For America training institute, which isn’t a very friendly place for spouses and their families due to the nature of the hard work Wes will have to do within the environment of a college dorm! Meanwhile the family’s income will be cut in half as Wes will not be working during the time of his training and Beecher is opposed to finding employment since it will take away from her mothering. The main problems are the lack of funds, uncertainty, and the personal desires of Beecher and Wes. One is curious on if other couples have faced similar dilemmas in the past. Hopefully by brainstorming within this post about solutions, readers can suggest answers on what they would do.  But suggestions are not the only benefit. Writing these thoughts down, will help in starting the process of figuring out what the heck is going to happen when the income goes yet the adventure continues.

Wes has suggested moving out in June to avoid having to pay rent for the three month of unemployment and training with Teach For America. One benefit is that TFA provides transitional funding of around $4,000 but with student loans, credit cards, health insurance premiums, moving expenses plus a car payment this will not go far enough in tiding the family over until August. The family also will have $2,000 in savings. Can a small family make it for three months on $6000 while moving?

Wes has thought Beecher could take on a house sitting position for the summer. Also it has been proposed for Beecher to take on a live-in Nanny position. These two options would cover housing for Beecher and Taylor since TFA covers those expenses for Wes. Another added benefit is that Beecher would not have to deal with her dysfunctional family to which she has admitted is a bad influence on her and Taylor. But the cons of such a situation for her is the additional responsibility such as driving, taking care of other peoples children or homes. 

Beecher actually prefers to be with her family to having the roles of a “job” even if the pay is in trade for room and board. Wes is skeptical of this idea because when Beecher is around her family she is reminded of her abusive childhood past. Typically Beecher complains of being stressed out by everyone’s outlandish behavior and how she wishes she didn’t have to rely on them for anything. Wes feels that putting his daughter in such a situation has negative effects on her as well and would opt for the stresses of having responsibilities to strangers rather than reopening the heavy burdens of the past.

As we get closer to decision time Wes is worried that the easy way out will be taken rather than a well thought proposal that will make everyone happy. Beecher also desires such a set up but cannot think of any solutions besides staying in our current home for the three months, moving ahead of Wes, or residing with family for the summer.

So what is one to do? It has been suggested to perhaps partake in a live in internship/volunteer program that provides child friendly accommodations. But still Beecher is concerned of having too many responsibilities while no decent ideas can be found. We do have some money to spare to find an appropriate solution but as stated before the budget is running tight. This was great to get this down. To conclude it is getting close to decision time. Hopefully with some thought and effort a great middle ground can be found and the summer can be another full of great adventures and wonderful memories. 

Changing the public image of Teach For America

There are many misconceptions regarding Teach For America corps members (CMs). Are these misconceptions simple observations about the organization and its membership or something deeper? Critics of the organization have many complaints about CMs: naïveté, inexperience, youthfulness, and unrealistic ambition. Some of these complaints are valid, but not for all CM’s. However, from my many hours spent reading and integrating into the organization, I have noticed that overall, the organization does little to mount a PR offensive against biased views, preferring a strategy of non-engagement and otherwise re-enforcement of the skeptical views. I believe that a greater effort on behalf of TFA needs to be put in place to go against these “misconceptions.”

As Teach For America grows from an outside force for change into an establishment body to make systemic change possible, a closer look needs to be taken of how the organization puts itself forward to the general public. I strongly believe that the current model is outdated and is in need of a refresh in order to truly reflect the diverse membership and to effectively counter biased misconceptions of the brand.

The supporters and the critics alike have some heavily conceived notions of the general make-up of TFA CM’s and staff they usually include the following observations:

Wealthy

Privileged

Elite

Young

Single

Ambitions

Childless

To an outsider with no prior knowledge of the organization the above list represents many supposed truths. Teach For America’s PR doesn’t even attempt to counter these personal traits which many associate with corps members, despite the fact that they are overwhelmingly untrue. While these traits may fit in with the pre-TFA recruits, they in no way reflect the people who are teaching in chaotic, stressful, and difficult environments.

I will give credit where credit is due. TFA has focused on accusations of a lack of experiences and naïveté but in my opinion has done little to refute the claim of resume padding and elite thumb sucking. They instead enforce this narrative, which paints CM’s as elite and disconnected from the average American way of life.  One can hardly be surprised that senior teachers express skepticism at CM’s when all they see of TFA are nice numbers on topflight recruits, and blossoming careers post TFA service.

The worthy cause of teaching in a low income/ high needs area is almost always overshadowed by the equal and even greater focus on success after the corps in an effort to recruit the best talent on behalf of TFA. Lofty press releases about how many Ivy League Seniors applied to TFA, the high GPA of corps members, or the section on their website encouraging parents to support their golden and coddled adult children through this experience all stink of snobbery.

I must admit the glossy website makes me feel proud to be an incoming TFA CM. But I also understand that to the traditional teacher who puts him or herself through a two year teaching program is a little upset that all of this praise is being bestowed upon passion, extracurricular involvement, Alma Mater and high undergraduate GPA.

If Teach For America were a person, I wouldn’t want to have anything to do with them! They come off as an egotistical, self-absorbed, coddled coalition of young adults. The website is usually the place where first and lasting impressions are formed. I haven’t visited the TFA website in great depth since after I got accepted, ironically. But I visited today and formed impressions that made the above character associations understandable, even though I know from experiences with other CM’s that such is quite far from the reality on the ground.

The first impression screamed out to me: We’re going to fix this injustice in our country with professional high achieving college grads in expensive dress. That’s vastly different than what my impression of Teach for America is through my experience: A humbling experience with many challenges that will make you a better person and your nation a healthier one. There is not much difference in the TFA application process than that of applying to a highflying graduate program or a coveted summer internship spot at a Wall St. Bank.  While I understand this is a way to attract top talent who otherwise wouldn’t take TFA seriously, such marketing is no longer necessary.

Last year alone, over 35,000 applicants applied for just 4000 slots. If TFA stopped recruiting entirely, I believe the applicant pool would still continue to grow exponentially. The need to come off a viable and competing option with Harvard Law and Leman Brothers is no longer necessary; or rather, doesn’t require active marketing. The “brand” now speaks for itself. 2008-2009 was a paradigm shift in post-graduate career options and the focus needs to be less on fancy recruitment and more on the reality of the devastation within the schools in which TFA’ers get placed.

TFA strongly is in touch with the reality CM’s face daily in their classrooms. However this is not portrayed accurately (nor enough). It has yet to be placed front and center in the frame of conscience of that average Mr. Joe teacher who currently sees TFA as a threat to his livelihood and the overall culture of public education. Currently the PR message is a picture of general elitist character traits that overpower the great work on the ground.

Please do not misinterpret my critiqued as an attack on the organization. Kerci Marcello Stroud and the entire communication effort of her colleagues at TFA have been very successful in putting forth a consistent image. Lets see more profiles of CM’s with children and families working the long hours, features from the TFA bloggers living on ramen noodles and waiting to buy that new car until they’re done with the corps. Lets see the older professional disgruntled by the corporate life making an entrance into a High School Science class. We all know the story of the young childless, unmarried 21 year old who goes into the corps, but what about the CM that most Americans or traditional teachers can identify with? With that I do believe that turning the public image of TFA into the “we are just like you and we are America too” will go a lot further in changing more hearts and minds for the cause than the current recruitment and donor driven approach. 

What we can learn by watching others

Learning Matters followed seven Teach for America Corps members in New Orleans (NOLA). All but two were first year CM's. The differences in their experiences was striking and revealed the characteristics that made strong teachers and weak teachers. These videos offered me a wake-up call on what such teachers face, especially new CM's, everyday. What I was able to pinpoint by watching these are some key outlooks the successful corps members had over those that were not successful. 

I consider success to be returning for your second year, establishing a good rapport with your students, and achieving some type of advancement within your classroom. Four of them succeeded by my criteria: Lindsay Ordower, Zitsi Mirakhur, Colleston Morgan, and Kady Amundson*. Two of them did not: Jeylan Erman and Daniel Hoffman. The third category is reserved for Bayoji Akinbola, who due to circumstances completely out of his control was not able to achieve a good rapport and measurable achievement. However Bayoji did return for a second year seeking re-assignment so he could achieve positive objectives. 

*Kady Amundson's profile is set to air on Tues. Feb. 2nd

The three who's videos I viewed who were successful seemed to be focused on the students. Clearly Lindsay Ordower from day one wanted be plugged into the personalities of her students. 

She connected with them by doing a failed activity of identifying who the students were "tight with". While trying to interact with her students regarding the New Orleans Saints, Lindsay at least opened the door to respect for student individuality. Student attendance was a major obstacle to success in Lindsay's science classroom but it didn't seem to bother her. She didn't flip out by trying to control the students by punishment, yelling, or calling the assistant principal. Quite candidly she stated that one of her students was homeless and pushing the heavy hand of order wasn't going to make his situation any better. 

Colleston, a second year CM had a lot in common with Lindsay. His students to him were people with individual personalities and experiences. I was struck by his straightforward view of their life experiences. Carlton states that "some of his students are more mature than he was at 18." Respect for students was primary in establishing an excellent rapport. To him,15 year old male students simply wanted to push the boundaries and to be seen as men. His response is that "teaching is psychology." Through this understanding, Colleston is able to focus on a classroom of respect for himself and his students rather than "command and control" of the classroom. 

I found Zitsi Mirakhur's first half of her first year starting off with all of the negative qualities of the unsuccessful CM's. But she quicky rebound by the second half. What was impressive was her realization of being more relaxed while focusing on the positive. Zitsi found an excessive amount of waste in classroom time and energy focusing on "controlling" her students. Breaking into groups, having her students work more independently, and having student feedback integrated into lessons meant less time in front of the class barking about behavioral issues. I was in awe of her quick adaptablity. By the end of her video Zitsi looked like she was a mature experienced teacher, not a 21yo straight out of college. It was amazing to see this transformation in just the short 5 minute clip. 

Now for the the unsuccessful corps members: Heylan Erman and Daniel Hofman. These two videos I learned the most from. Jeylan and Daniel came into the classroom with HUGE and lofty ideals. Before classes had begun, they stated that they wanted or expected to have control of their classes, for their students to all learn a lot, and to quickly rise to their vision of success. Jeylan started her first day practically bragging about her college experince and how much money she could have made on Wall St. Her students seemed disintrested. Daniel started his first day by asking his students if they knew of any leaders he mentioned, trying to force participation by telling students to all give a thumbs up or thumbs down. 

Jeyla thought she could control her class and have an ideal "utopia" of learning. Daniel was obsessed at the fact that he didn't have control of his classroom. A quote of his I found telling was the following: "Ive become more lax, something I know I shouldn't be doing." It appears from my point of view that Daniel views giving his students more freedom in their own learning is indeed a problem. The lines between discipline and learning are all blurred, only to be clearly defined when he is at the top of the class directing lessons. I also noticed he did an excessive amount of talking at his students, not interacting with them. 

I am by no means a professional nor have I ever been at the front of a classroom teaching. These are all observations of watching other teachers in action. It is not my objective to criticizes one over another but my goal is to illustrate clear distinctions in teach styles that successful CM's had over unsuccessful CM's.  

I encourage you all to watch the videos and please do leave comments if you noticed points I haven't brought up. We can all learn from one another. 

My Two Year Teach for America Journey

You've decided to apply to Teach for America. The most selective post-college program out there. I'm Wes: father, spouse, recent graduate and future corp member for 2010. I've applied to the program twice. I've been on the downside of this recession- unemployed with a wife also out of work and a daughter to care for. Today things are much better I'm nannying to make ends meet but excited that after applying this year for the first/summer deadline I was accepted . I have a lot to share and in these 2000 or so words I hope to share the first part (the application process) with readers and hope a greater understanding of what it means to apply to Teach for America will be garnered by the end of this long three part post. Enjoy.

Making the decision to Apply

I decided to apply for Teach for America (TFA) when I was a Jr. in college. TFA was already doing a lot of recruiting on campus. It was  one of the few organizations involved in a campus leadership foundation I was a member of at the time. In addition I was moved to education after a self-reflection exercise in an Anthropology course (of all places). Way before the financial collapse I knew I wanted to go into teaching.

That summer I spent a considerable amount of time researching teaching options and TFA ranked top on the list as ways to get involved in the sector. The appeal of having a career-long foundation for success through the TFA network is what made me strongly in favor of applying. The fact that Beecher and I were expecting and soon to be starting a family the appeal of a steady career tract also was promising. Beecher and I poured over hundreds of articles, studies, and opinions on TFA. My main concern was about the competitiveness of the program as written about this year in the post Acceptance Reality. While TFA is not “competitive” it is highly selective. Their percentages of high GPA, high SAT scores, and high achieving students were extremely intimidating. With my 3.0 GPA, and the fact that I had a daughter on the way, these numbers were concerning.

Still I decided to apply but to do so after I had another semester under my belt to boost my GPA even further, as well as to give me more time to better prepare for the rigorous process.

Alright lets charge forward to solve the greatest inequality in America

After Beecher and I decided to join we made the appropriate arrangements to go forward (including me quitting my job). In addition to reading everything out there about the organization, we attended two events on campus about TFA. The first was held by our University Career services, the second was an information session held by the main recruiter at our school. Finally, we visited the regional office that summer to get an up-close and personal look at TFA’s work.

The most important part of this process was our rigorous note taking. We scoured the TFA website, and numerous news stories noting words and terms that were repeated over and over again. We wanted to essentially boil down the articles to key words and then note which ones were used most often. We had a constantly updated list of these terms as we heard them being used by the organization. The more these words and terms were used, the more we were able to connect them to a greater theme in what the organization was looking to accomplish and what they were looking for in their candidates.

For example: “willing to do what it takes” noted at least two dozen times across all materials and physical events. That was connected to individual stories we had read in our periodical searches online. This was one of many such examples that demonstrated greater qualities that TFA looked for in most applicants.

Putting Passion to Paper and Words

That winter break, Beecher and I spent much time on our applications. Connecting the ideas that we had observed, noted, and cared about most into our candidacies. Out of the word lists we had compiled we chose the ones that fit our experiences and beliefs most closely. The following week I advanced directly to a final interview while Beecher was invited to a phone interview.

Beecher prepared for her phone interview by meeting with a counselor at our University Career Services. A list of potential questions served as mock interviews at home. We wrote out answers to the questions, again referencing the lists of key words where appropriate and focusing on different aspects of her resume for each question. The phone interview was a success and Beecher was invited to her final interview as well.

The next couple of weeks were spent eagerly preparing for this interview. I had several meetings with one of my professors to find out a great lesson relating to African American history since it was Black history month. The most nervous part of preparation was for the lesson. Much money was spent on supplies to teach our lesson. We spent an entire weekend going to the Mall deciding on the perfect outfit for Beecher to wear to her interview. Finally, hours upon hours were spent with us shooting questions back and forth to each other in mock interviews while compiling the many items TFA requires just one week before your interview such as the Transcript evaluation form. These items alone take hours to complete and are time sensitive.

There are tons of resources and blogs on the web that detail the final interview, so I will pass on talking about that process. I was highly nervous in my final interview and had many times where I felt frozen with anxiety. With that being said, if you have what it takes to be a TFA member I think you will find a way to make yourself shine in this final interview.

The time period between your final interview and your acceptance notification take forever. I know that I was all-consumed by the waiting. With a young daughter, Beecher (who was also waiting), and a crumbling US economy at the time, the wait was dreadful to say the least. On acceptance day Beecher was rejected outright. I was waitlisted and told that I would be notified of my status.

Disaster and Depression

April came with another notification that I would find out in May if I was going to be placed. May came and again, I was told that by June 1st they would give me a final yes or no. In between each period I was working as hard as I could to ensure that I would be placed. I was visiting the TFA office and trying to find any way I could to stay connected and make myself more viable it was pointless. Unfortunately, June came and I was told no (basically getting the same rejection letter Beecher had got in the first place). Waitlisting was terrible and I write about my current feelings for those currently on it for 2010 here.  My life felt as if was falling apart. I was graduating with no job prospects. I had quit my job to focus on getting a really great job and over my Sr. year I had applied for well over 100 jobs in addition to TFA only to get rejected by Every. Single. One. In hindsight I would have done some things differently on my regional preference form to increase my chances. My preferences were selfish and short sighted focused on sexy places I wanted to live while in the corps rather than where I would be needed to make the most impact. as written about

I spent the summer scrambling for employment. Beecher and I were living in a trailer (in a very rural region of the country) belonging to a family friend of hers, a place where she was emotionally unstable and we didn’t have access to some pretty simple amenities, such as internet. We were grateful for the free housing but terribly distressed by the lack of savings, mounting credit card debt, and continuing with no jobs (despite by this point my outstanding 200 job applications by this point).

Resolution?

Long story short, I finally landed a job making a decent salary. That August I noticed TFA had a summer deadline and I jumped at the opportunity. I knew that if I didn’t do something to boost my chances I would forever find myself trapped by the gap on my resume that felt like a slap on the face.

In my community I looked for ways to make a difference. My job was extremely unrewarding and disheartening. I was angry that the global recession dealt me such a bad hand yet at the same time happy to have some type of employment. To deal with this anxiety I started volunteering at the local KIPP School in my community.

The KIPP experience was amazing. It diffused a lot of frustration I had about my circumstance, while giving me valuable insight in the world of those working daily to help end the achievement gap. Re-applying was not the least bit stressful. This time, everything came almost naturally.

The second time around

While my first application essay came easy, this year it was the hardest to master. I wanted to spend it yelling in despair at the situation millions of Americans have now found themselves. A recession anthem for the downtrodden is what I wanted to write about. Instead, I was forced to bring out the inner optimist. The Wes who was young and idealistic, not the Wes who was ran over by society and trampled by life in the past year. Bringing this optimism out was hard yet it yielded me a phone interview.

My interviewer seemed genuinely intrigued by my experiences. I came in ready to defend my reasons for unemployment over the summer or my current un-traditional candidacy. Instead, she was interested in how these were assets. I was able to easily discuss my reasons for wanting to join. I told her why I was applying again, specifically how much time I have had to think about what being a corps member was. My expressions were heartfelt and not regurgitated ideas built from a document of commonly occurring TFA catch phrases.

To be honest I barely prepared for my final interview and I certainly didn’t spend much money on it. My lesson was chosen and put together two days before my final interview. I scoped out the location the day prior making sure I knew how to get there, and the layout of the interview room. The night before Beecher coached me through my lesson and I was ready to go the following day with about a fourth of the prep tome than the year prior.

The interview day was long. Since I was not nearly as nervous as the year before, it seemed to drag on for ever. Activity…after…activity…after…activity! Writing sample after writing sample, lesson after lesson. Through it all, I just talked what I believed and felt to be true. I discovered that wanting to be apart of TFA is a mindset not a group of qualifiers you subscribe to. Once you are in that mindset, all else comes naturally and you will flourish in the areas that they look for promise among applicants.

Acceptance

So I’ve been accepted no wait-listing! I will be teaching English in the MS Delta. I know I didn’t believe it when people used to tell me, but getting in is not all about fantastic grades and great extra-curricular involvement. While that helps its not the panacea for guaranteed acceptance. Like I said, being a TFA’er is a mindset. I am going to be needing to rely heavily on my basic foundation to get me through the rough times.

A point of disagreement even on this blog has been about the waitlist. It is a caveat to being qualified to join. Yes you may be “acceptable” like I was last year but the waitlist means they didn’t have availability to put you where you wanted to go and in the subject you wanted. My feeling is to avoid this try to think more open-mindedly about regions. Especially if you are single and have no dependents and would love to have a great adventure. Besides that, just be yourself, do your research, and get involved with the organizations core principles.

My Two Year Teach for America Journey

You've decided to apply to Teach for America. The most selective post-college program out there. I'm Wes: father, spouse, recent graduate and future corp member for 2010. I've applied to the program twice. I've been on the downside of this recession- unemployed with a wife also out of work and a daughter to care for. Today things are much better I'm nannying to make ends meet but excited that after applying this year for the first/summer deadline I was accepted . I have a lot to share and in these 2000 or so words I hope to share the first part (the application process) with readers and hope a greater understanding of what it means to apply to Teach for America will be garnered by the end of this long three part post. Enjoy.

Making the decision to Apply

I decided to apply for Teach for America (TFA) when I was a Jr. in college. TFA was already doing a lot of recruiting on campus. It was  one of the few organizations involved in a campus leadership foundation I was a member of at the time. In addition I was moved to education after a self-reflection exercise in an Anthropology course (of all places). Way before the financial collapse I knew I wanted to go into teaching.

That summer I spent a considerable amount of time researching teaching options and TFA ranked top on the list as ways to get involved in the sector. The appeal of having a career-long foundation for success through the TFA network is what made me strongly in favor of applying. The fact that Beecher and I were expecting and soon to be starting a family the appeal of a steady career tract also was promising. Beecher and I poured over hundreds of articles, studies, and opinions on TFA. My main concern was about the competitiveness of the program as written about this year in the post Acceptance Reality. While TFA is not “competitive” it is highly selective. Their percentages of high GPA, high SAT scores, and high achieving students were extremely intimidating. With my 3.0 GPA, and the fact that I had a daughter on the way, these numbers were concerning.

Still I decided to apply but to do so after I had another semester under my belt to boost my GPA even further, as well as to give me more time to better prepare for the rigorous process.

Alright lets charge forward to solve the greatest inequality in America

After Beecher and I decided to join we made the appropriate arrangements to go forward (including me quitting my job). In addition to reading everything out there about the organization, we attended two events on campus about TFA. The first was held by our University Career services, the second was an information session held by the main recruiter at our school. Finally, we visited the regional office that summer to get an up-close and personal look at TFA’s work.

The most important part of this process was our rigorous note taking. We scoured the TFA website, and numerous news stories noting words and terms that were repeated over and over again. We wanted to essentially boil down the articles to key words and then note which ones were used most often. We had a constantly updated list of these terms as we heard them being used by the organization. The more these words and terms were used, the more we were able to connect them to a greater theme in what the organization was looking to accomplish and what they were looking for in their candidates.

For example: “willing to do what it takes” noted at least two dozen times across all materials and physical events. That was connected to individual stories we had read in our periodical searches online. This was one of many such examples that demonstrated greater qualities that TFA looked for in most applicants.

Putting Passion to Paper and Words

That winter break, Beecher and I spent much time on our applications. Connecting the ideas that we had observed, noted, and cared about most into our candidacies. Out of the word lists we had compiled we chose the ones that fit our experiences and beliefs most closely. The following week I advanced directly to a final interview while Beecher was invited to a phone interview.

Beecher prepared for her phone interview by meeting with a counselor at our University Career Services. A list of potential questions served as mock interviews at home. We wrote out answers to the questions, again referencing the lists of key words where appropriate and focusing on different aspects of her resume for each question. The phone interview was a success and Beecher was invited to her final interview as well.

The next couple of weeks were spent eagerly preparing for this interview. I had several meetings with one of my professors to find out a great lesson relating to African American history since it was Black history month. The most nervous part of preparation was for the lesson. Much money was spent on supplies to teach our lesson. We spent an entire weekend going to the Mall deciding on the perfect outfit for Beecher to wear to her interview. Finally, hours upon hours were spent with us shooting questions back and forth to each other in mock interviews while compiling the many items TFA requires just one week before your interview such as the Transcript evaluation form. These items alone take hours to complete and are time sensitive.

There are tons of resources and blogs on the web that detail the final interview, so I will pass on talking about that process. I was highly nervous in my final interview and had many times where I felt frozen with anxiety. With that being said, if you have what it takes to be a TFA member I think you will find a way to make yourself shine in this final interview.

The time period between your final interview and your acceptance notification take forever. I know that I was all-consumed by the waiting. With a young daughter, Beecher (who was also waiting), and a crumbling US economy at the time, the wait was dreadful to say the least. On acceptance day Beecher was rejected outright. I was waitlisted and told that I would be notified of my status.

Disaster and Depression

April came with another notification that I would find out in May if I was going to be placed. May came and again, I was told that by June 1st they would give me a final yes or no. In between each period I was working as hard as I could to ensure that I would be placed. I was visiting the TFA office and trying to find any way I could to stay connected and make myself more viable it was pointless. Unfortunately, June came and I was told no (basically getting the same rejection letter Beecher had got in the first place). Waitlisting was terrible and I write about my current feelings for those currently on it for 2010 here.  My life felt as if was falling apart. I was graduating with no job prospects. I had quit my job to focus on getting a really great job and over my Sr. year I had applied for well over 100 jobs in addition to TFA only to get rejected by Every. Single. One. In hindsight I would have done some things differently on my regional preference form to increase my chances. My preferences were selfish and short sighted focused on sexy places I wanted to live while in the corps rather than where I would be needed to make the most impact. as written about

I spent the summer scrambling for employment. Beecher and I were living in a trailer (in a very rural region of the country) belonging to a family friend of hers, a place where she was emotionally unstable and we didn’t have access to some pretty simple amenities, such as internet. We were grateful for the free housing but terribly distressed by the lack of savings, mounting credit card debt, and continuing with no jobs (despite by this point my outstanding 200 job applications by this point).

Resolution?

Long story short, I finally landed a job making a decent salary. That August I noticed TFA had a summer deadline and I jumped at the opportunity. I knew that if I didn’t do something to boost my chances I would forever find myself trapped by the gap on my resume that felt like a slap on the face.

In my community I looked for ways to make a difference. My job was extremely unrewarding and disheartening. I was angry that the global recession dealt me such a bad hand yet at the same time happy to have some type of employment. To deal with this anxiety I started volunteering at the local KIPP School in my community.

The KIPP experience was amazing. It diffused a lot of frustration I had about my circumstance, while giving me valuable insight in the world of those working daily to help end the achievement gap. Re-applying was not the least bit stressful. This time, everything came almost naturally.

The second time around

While my first application essay came easy, this year it was the hardest to master. I wanted to spend it yelling in despair at the situation millions of Americans have now found themselves. A recession anthem for the downtrodden is what I wanted to write about. Instead, I was forced to bring out the inner optimist. The Wes who was young and idealistic, not the Wes who was ran over by society and trampled by life in the past year. Bringing this optimism out was hard yet it yielded me a phone interview.

My interviewer seemed genuinely intrigued by my experiences. I came in ready to defend my reasons for unemployment over the summer or my current un-traditional candidacy. Instead, she was interested in how these were assets. I was able to easily discuss my reasons for wanting to join. I told her why I was applying again, specifically how much time I have had to think about what being a corps member was. My expressions were heartfelt and not regurgitated ideas built from a document of commonly occurring TFA catch phrases.

To be honest I barely prepared for my final interview and I certainly didn’t spend much money on it. My lesson was chosen and put together two days before my final interview. I scoped out the location the day prior making sure I knew how to get there, and the layout of the interview room. The night before Beecher coached me through my lesson and I was ready to go the following day with about a fourth of the prep tome than the year prior.

The interview day was long. Since I was not nearly as nervous as the year before, it seemed to drag on for ever. Activity…after…activity…after…activity! Writing sample after writing sample, lesson after lesson. Through it all, I just talked what I believed and felt to be true. I discovered that wanting to be apart of TFA is a mindset not a group of qualifiers you subscribe to. Once you are in that mindset, all else comes naturally and you will flourish in the areas that they look for promise among applicants.

Acceptance

So I’ve been accepted no wait-listing! I will be teaching English in the MS Delta. I know I didn’t believe it when people used to tell me, but getting in is not all about fantastic grades and great extra-curricular involvement. While that helps its not the panacea for guaranteed acceptance. Like I said, being a TFA’er is a mindset. I am going to be needing to rely heavily on my basic foundation to get me through the rough times.

A point of disagreement even on this blog has been about the waitlist. It is a caveat to being qualified to join. Yes you may be “acceptable” like I was last year but the waitlist means they didn’t have availability to put you where you wanted to go and in the subject you wanted. My feeling is to avoid this try to think more open-mindedly about regions. Especially if you are single and have no dependents and would love to have a great adventure. Besides that, just be yourself, do your research, and get involved with the organizations core principles.

Rejected into service

The point of this post is to highlight two options that are out there after being rejected from TFA. If you are single, young, and are about to graduate YOU ARE LUCKY! When I got my rejection letter in May there was little available for a new parent with a spouse also unemployed.  There are an almost unlimited number of opportunities available to you that were not available to me as a parent, even though the economy is in a rough spot right now.

City Year provides opportunities to work with children in low income communities nationwide. The benefit of this program is the experience you will gain. In addition you will have housing provided for, a small stipend outside of that, and the opportunity to pay off $5,300 in student loan debt or to contribute to graduate school by the end of the first year. This year-long commitment means that you will be free to re-apply for Teach for America plus City Year will by far challenge you in similar conditions to a future TFA service, thus making you an even more promising re-applicant. 

Americorps offers similar benefits as City Year but has more placement regions and more opportunities in various fields. I would strongly suggest The Americorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps which is a team based residential program for women and men 18-24 years old. The program has 5 placement areas from Denver, CO to CA.  

The reason why I am highlighting these two programs first is due to the fact they provide unparalleled structure, ease of acceptance, and applicability to future pursuits. City Year and The Americorps NCCC will put you in a better position if you seek to re-apply for TFA, go to grad school, or to enter the professional workforce. Also these programs cover your student loan obligations which many of you will be facing in less than a year. Trying to tough out the job market is risky, and you may end up jobless still in September with overdue student loan payments begging your parents for money. 

Re-applying for TFA or trying to apply for grad school after months of being idle is worse than going into such situations with the current experiences that CIty Year and Americorps will provide. Yes the economy and job market is giving you a raw deal right now but your future success will depend on how you deal with such challenges. These two programs provide the ultimate answer in dealing with such a dilemma. 

These two programs keep you from getting into more debt while giving you the professional experience to be a better candidate for whatever path you choose within a year. I hope rejected Teach For America applicants who have the ability to take part in these programs strongly consider them. They were not an option for me but they are for so many others who can make a true and lasting impact on our nation.