Whew!!

Well, that was crazy! I just finished training for five weeks (six if you count induction) in the heart of North Philly. 600 new teachers were living and breathing what it means to be a teacher from dawn til dusk for those five weeks. I had the privilege of teaching 5th grade summer school at Fairhill Elementary School. I had a blast! But, I'm not going to lie...it was tough. My collaborative members and I (shout out to Oriel and Kate!) had our hands full with 12 boys and only two girls, which quickly turned into only one girl, and then none by the end! We rotated teaching reading, writing, and math - we got the whole spectrum! Our kids made tremendous leaps and bounds in their academic progress this summer. They almost doubled the percentage that they received from their diagnostic tests to their final exams. I am so proud of all of them!!

Oops. I just realized...some of you may have no idea what the heck I am talking about! Back to the beginning. About 8 months ago I decided to apply for a program called Teach For America (TFA from now on). It is an organization whose mission is to see that all children have an equal opportunity for a quality education. If it isn't obvious, we're talking mostly about children in the inner-cities of almost all major cities in the US. I will share some statistics soon, but it is staggering how dramatically different education is between suburban and urban communities. Anyhow, long story short, I applied in January, made it through to the rigorous interview process, was accepted, and poof! Six months later I found myself in an actual classroom in Philly. It is amazing how quickly things can change in such a small amount of time.

I should also note, my husband (David) and I currently live in Princeton, New Jersey after we moved out here about a year ago. He is attending grad school at Princeton Theological Seminary. I dearly, dearly miss Portland, OR, my home, but I am coming to love Philly more and more.

I think I've bombarded this post with more than enough information. Look for some institute reflections to come soon! Philly '06 - Fired Up!