Brewings
A cheesy Britney Spears Christmas song is playing on Winamp. I'm moderately (i.e. very) ashamed of myself every time it comes on, but it's damn catchy. At least it's not that stupid little boy buying shoes for his dying mom song. I hate that song.
Lately, I find myself procrastinating on school work, research, and life to read about Why the World Sucks. Education, poverty, public health... Injustice is everywhere, and this is all so very angering, depressing, and motivating. So how do I translate this knowledge and these emotions into something productive? How can I best use my motivations and experiences after Teach for America?
I love teaching, but maybe I could love something else and have a greater impact. Maybe I have to sacrifice some things I love doing in the short term (or long term) to reap greater benefits in the future. Maybe I have to do things I don't like to get the things I really want.
I can't stop reading about the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). I want to be there NOW. I daydream about lesson plans, activities for my students, how I'm going to organize my classroom, how I'll deal with discipline problems, what school I'll be at, the faces that will become people, how I'll magically become fluent in Spanish in a week even though I'm terrible at languages, how I'm going to teach things I don't even know yet... I daydream about lesson plans though. Is that weird? Shouldn't I be daydreaming about shoes or a boy or something? No, that would be weird.
The people I meet in June will become some of my best friends, I'm sure. They will be my support group for the next two years and thereafter. They will probably get me jobs later on. But mostly, I'm excited to meet people as crazy and dedicated as I am about this issue. I met many people like that this quarter, and it was kind of exhilarating. What wonderful things could be accomplished when driven leaders band together. I think that's something I really like about Teach for America, bringing together strong leaders under one cause and then sending them out to the rest of the world.
Sarah Childers, ex-TFA corps members, said it best: joining TFA is a little like joining the Academy. It's humbling and scary and exciting to meet all these amazing people. But if TFA turns out to be anything like the Academy, then I know I made the right choice.
Lately, I find myself procrastinating on school work, research, and life to read about Why the World Sucks. Education, poverty, public health... Injustice is everywhere, and this is all so very angering, depressing, and motivating. So how do I translate this knowledge and these emotions into something productive? How can I best use my motivations and experiences after Teach for America?
I love teaching, but maybe I could love something else and have a greater impact. Maybe I have to sacrifice some things I love doing in the short term (or long term) to reap greater benefits in the future. Maybe I have to do things I don't like to get the things I really want.
I can't stop reading about the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). I want to be there NOW. I daydream about lesson plans, activities for my students, how I'm going to organize my classroom, how I'll deal with discipline problems, what school I'll be at, the faces that will become people, how I'll magically become fluent in Spanish in a week even though I'm terrible at languages, how I'm going to teach things I don't even know yet... I daydream about lesson plans though. Is that weird? Shouldn't I be daydreaming about shoes or a boy or something? No, that would be weird.
The people I meet in June will become some of my best friends, I'm sure. They will be my support group for the next two years and thereafter. They will probably get me jobs later on. But mostly, I'm excited to meet people as crazy and dedicated as I am about this issue. I met many people like that this quarter, and it was kind of exhilarating. What wonderful things could be accomplished when driven leaders band together. I think that's something I really like about Teach for America, bringing together strong leaders under one cause and then sending them out to the rest of the world.
Sarah Childers, ex-TFA corps members, said it best: joining TFA is a little like joining the Academy. It's humbling and scary and exciting to meet all these amazing people. But if TFA turns out to be anything like the Academy, then I know I made the right choice.