Induction: The Beginning of my journey

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