Teach For America

Teaching has always been on my to-do list, though I always thought it would be a second career - one that I would do after I had kids and tried my luck in the business world. But when Teach for America started recruiting me last spring, it got me thinking. Why not now? Well there are a few reasons, but there are also a few reasons to just go for it. It takes a really special, really strong person to go in and teach in an inner city. I'm not sure I have that strength but I do know that what those kids really need is someone to believe in them. I can do that. So, the first application deadline was today and the more I thought about it, the more I thought about a convrstation I had with my dad a few years back:

When he asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I told him I wanted to be important. He was suprised and said, "come on honey, of course you are important." I said I know, but I really want to matter. Now, there are lots of ways to matter and to be "important." Holding a high powered, high profile job would be pretty cool. But mostly, I want to make a difference. I could do this in an office, or I could do it in a classroom.....

After lots of thinking, I decided, if I'm not changing someone's life, if I'm not making a difference, then what am I doing? So I applied. And we'll see what happens. Maybe I'll be offered a position. Maybe I won't. Maybe I'll still end up in an office and teaching will be my second career. Either way, I hope I can find a way to be "important."

Following is my letter of intent for my application:

A couple of years ago, my dad asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up. I said, "I want to be important." I wasn't talking about becoming a CEO or making millions of dollars, I was talking about making a profound difference in someone's life. I want my work to matter and I want those around me to feel as though they matter. I've thought about it a million times, and as far as an opportunity to make a difference, it doesn't get much better than Teach for America. I am confident that as a corps member, I could make a difference in the lives of many children by giving them a great education when they might not otherwise have that chance.

I want to be a part of this movement because I want to be a part of the empowerment. When I went to school, I had teachers who believed in me, parents who believed in me, friends who believed in me... I was blessed enough to have the support and encouragement of many to help me dream big and succeed. From the bottom of my heart, I hope that every child has someone to believe in him or her, though I know that this is not always the case. I want to join Teach for America so I can be that person who believes in a child and pushes him to believe in himself so that he can succeed. I want to be a part of this movement so that I can bring passion, confidence, and success to every child, no matter their household income or situation. I want to join Teach for America so I can make sure every child has a great education and the tools for a successful future.

Though I may not be the perfect teacher, I will be the perfect cheerleader and every day, I will do my very best to show children their full potential while giving them the education they deserve. As a corps member, I hope to improve literacy and test taking abilities, but I also hope to instill a sense of empowerment, hope, and drive in children. I believe that accomplishments in academics are important, but those are only the beginning of a bright future. As a teacher, my most profound accomplishment would be knowing my children believe in themselves and have the courage to constantly dream bigger.

To measure success as a corps member, I will evaluate my students and their academic progress with pre-tests and final tests of my own and hopefully some of the state's too. Though it is slightly more difficult to measure a child's increased belief in himself, I will do so by evaluating goals and dreams. Perhaps we will keep dream journals or I will simply ask the children throughout the year. Increased confidence, though maybe not measurable by any definite means, is definitely noticeable and I will measure my success as a corps member by the noticeably increased confidence of my students.