Teach For America

Peter E.

October 18, 2009 - 9:48 AM

I thought with this post I'd take a slightly different look into the life of Peter. I've typically covered fun events that happen on a weekly basis. However, as a senior looking towards the future, I thought I'd dedicate a few paragraphs to my undetermined future.

Tomorrow I have my Teach For America final interview. I'm slightly nervous, excited, and anxious for the day. Among other things, I have to teach a lesson plan, participate in a group activity, and have a one-on-one interview. I'm dedicating the majority of today to preparing for the interview and teaching my lesson plan. I plan on teaching (to the fellow applicants) a grammar lesson on when to use affect versus effect.

The interview aside, the application process has been fairly thrilling thus far. Last week I was able to rank my preferences for where I'd like to teach should I be accepted. Ideally, I would like to teach high school English in Denver. It is fairly unlikely I will get all of my top choices for location, grade, and subject area, but that's my dream. Even if I don't get my top choices, the concept of someone else determining where I will live and what I will do (specifically) for the next two years is wild. I am one that likes to plan ahead and be in control, but I am really intrigued by the powerlessness of my situation. Should I be accepted, I am really eager to live in a place I've most likely never even visited, make new friends, and experience a different regional culture.

However, I'm most excited to teach in a low income community. I know that I will face some large obstacles while teaching, probably on a daily basis, but I've heard the experience is tremendously rewarding. I want to get into educational policy of some kind in the long-term, so I believe that spending at least a couple years in a low socioeconomic classroom will give me hands on experience to learn the educational system and give me a better understanding of how I can be an advocate for further change.

I guess that's really the source of my excitement: I want to effect change in America's educational system. And, yes, that is proper usage of effect as a verb.