I am proud to be a Teach For America
Massachusetts 2012 corps member. Today I would be starting induction
(sounds like I am joining an honor society or sorority right?) meeting the rest
of 2012 Massachusetts corps members as well as the lovely staff of TFA Mass.
Before I launch into the whole spiel of induction, let me first clarify what
Teach for America is and briefly explain why I chose to do it (I will go more
in depth in subsequent posts).
So what is this
Teach for America? Is it a cult? Teach for America is an organization whose
mission is one day ALL children will be given equal education by working to
close the achievement gap. The only way for this to occur is to enlist
the help of individuals who are passionate about this cause who will
work in classrooms working to close the achievement in areas that suffer from
poverty. Teach for America believes that a child's education should not
be determined by their zip codes (more on this later, I really want to set the
stage and show off what I learnt from my pre-work). It is a two year
commitment but many continue to make leaps and bounds in the classroom after
their two years while others pursue other profession that may still impact
education and low income families. Teach for America seeks individuals who
will continue to make long lasting impact in closing that gap because
they have seen that reality of inequality after teaching. So
why did I do it? One, I was not fully ready for law school but mostly because I
care about causes bigger than myself. Migrating to America has opened my
eyes to so many injustices in a country that promotes equality and justice as
well as my family has been impacted by so many non-profits fueling a need in me
to give back. Education access has always been important because
one's education is a deciding factor in one's life trajectory. The
epidemic of failing schools especially in urban centers
have continuously failed some of the most
talented individuals especially some of my peers. Not only will
it improve life of those in that neighborhood but imagine the impact economically
and socially if the achievement gap is closed for the country. I knew
I wanted to be a part of an organization with such
a noble selfless mission.
As stated earlier
today, I was being inducted, inducted into a group of passionate,
knowledgeable, selfish, and hardworking individuals. Induction is the week
where the corps comes together for an introduction to our region,
each other, learn about the expectations, prepare for institute, and discuss
why we have chosen this work. I honestly did not know what to expect at
induction, the packed schedule of a day starting 7am and ending 6pm alone made
me nervous. Also, the fact that we had to complete 45 hours of pre-work
(I will dedicate a post to this later on) that we would be discussing also made
me anxious.
For induction we
would be staying at the swankiest apartments/suites at Boston University (so
posh!) and yay me I was paired with my friend Miss W. After checking we went to
Match Charter School nearby for opening ceremonies. Our keynote speaker
left me so inspired, frustrated with the system, excited to be a part of the
change, humbled, and inspired (so on fire!!). As she began her speech
there was a hush, no she was not a CEO of a company, a superintendent,
Principal or teacher but that's because she was so much better than that she
was the night shift custodian in TFA Mass office. Yes, the custodian, she
described how she migrated from the country and was placed in an ESL class and
eventually graduated from high school despite the challenges. She
described being told by her guidance counselor that she would not be able to
attend college because she was not a citizen and it would be expensive.
Now picture a 12 year old brought to this country, not knowing that she
was not here legally (rant: my 2nd favorite topic after education is
immigration reform especially the Dream Act). Anyway she describes
this fervor to go to college no matter how long it would take to save up.
During her speech describes that her school ended up being a level school
and was shut down which made her feel like her diploma that she worked so hard
for meant nothing. She concluded her speech with bad and good news; she
would no longer be working as a custodian with TFA because she would now be
attending UMASS. As inspirational as her story is it upset me simply
because no child should have to put off college or feel inadequate. As a
future teacher, I want to be that person that changes the generation of my
future student's life. After staring at the ceiling trying to hold in my
tears it was nice to hear the middle school students and a corps member who is
their music teacher sing Nas I know I can and the good ole feel good song, no not
Kumbiya but Lean on Me (my 6th grade song). We were able to break off in
smaller groups with current corps members to get to know each other. Let the
adult camp bonding begin loll. I am having so much fun...Stay tuned.
Guess I should
start signing my blogs the following ....lol :)
Get fired up cuz I am ….
- Miss Logan
