About this time last year,
I would have been posting about the end of the semester and celebrating
personal successes along with the rest of my facebook population. This year,
however, I get to celebrate the successes of the 26 little people that are
changing my life. At the beginning of the year some of my students came to me
not even knowing the first letter of their name. As a business school grad,
about the only strategy I could think of was to put the letter on a PowerPoint
slide and say “it’s A.” (Have no fear; I did not actually do this). Fortunately
after learning a few accurate strategies and having an amazingly talented
co-teacher, 70% of our students will go into 2014 reading ABOVE the average kindergarten reading
level. I am incredibly proud of them for persisting to learn each day
regardless of the challenges they all face on a day-to-day basis. Overall the
year has taught me many things about children, and about the education sector.
The industry is so fascinating to me and it is incredible how much opportunity
there is for improvement. Going into 2014, I will capitalize on what I can do
to further my growth and what skills I can use to help not only my school but
the education sphere.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Twinning: Thing 1 and thing 2
It has been a long time since my last blog post; I
definitely overestimated this thing they call “free time.” We recently had our
fall literacy fest, where each of the teachers dressed as book characters and
read their books to all of the kindergarten classes. Naturally my co-teacher
and I chose Cat in the Hat and found thing 1 and thing 2 onesies from target. The
kids freaked out when we jumped up from behind the library in our matching,
firetruck red onesies! Not only was it Halloween but now their teachers were
dressed like giant fuzzy "things"…it was quite the day. :)
Andre Agassi cuts the ribbon!
October 23rd was the official opening and ribbon
cutting of KIPP Destiny elementary in Dallas. We were joined by KIPP founder
Mike Feinberg, the Dallas Mayor and world renowned Tennis Player and Olympic
medalist Andre Agassi who funded the KIPP Destiny building. Two of my students
were apart of the ribbon cutting ceremony and were able to officially cut the
ribbon. When my principal informed me that Andre Agassi would be coming to my
classroom to film the media clip, I nearly died! We were featured on several
news channels (thankfully not the part where my kids asked Andre, “who are
you?”) That’s kindergarten for you. It was an absolutely incredible day and I
have a feeling my students will relish it for years to come. The look on their
faces when they found out they were on TV was purely heart-warming. The support
for the new school from the community leaders and KIPP was incredible. I feel
so blessed to be apart of this experience.
The team and family are some of the most talented, dedicated
and amazing people I’ve met. We’ve heard so many great things from parents…
“It is such a blessing that you
guys came here. I am so proud of my son and what you are doing for him!”
“What y’all doing here is so
powerful. Y’all put your money where your mouth is, and bring it!”
Articles from the event:
Videos from the event:
Pictures of the event
Andre speaking at the ceremony
Mike Feinberg speaking at the dedication ceremony
Andre visiting our "Texas Tech Red Raiders"
Eller Alum Spotlight
So blessed that
the Eller College featured my blog and my journey in their college blog. Eller
provided me countless opportunities and has been immensely supportive of my
journey in the education field. Read the post here!
Monday, September 16, 2013
A Rendezvous with The President
Last night I had the sincere
privilege of meeting President Bush and Mrs. Bush at a private event they
hosted for the Dallas Teach for America Corps. It was an absolutely incredible
experience, one that I will relish for the remainder of my life. We were able
to explore the George W. Bush Presidential Center at SMU, which is relatively
new. It had a structure salvaged from the 911 twin towers that you were
encouraged to touch. There was a situation room in which you could listen to
the opinions of different law officials and policemen to decide what to do in a
national emergency and compare it to what Bush did. We got to visit a replica
oval office; that President’s chair seemed quite comfy. ;)
After we toured the
museum, we shook the President’s hand and headed out to the patio. It was a
pleasant surprise however, when Mrs. Bush pulled up a chair at our table for
dinner! We talked about our teaching experiences and how she enjoyed being a
teacher herself back in the day. President Bush was good humored and down to
earth in his speech. He thanked all the Corps members for teaching and for
persisting despite the challenges we have all already faced. The most amazing
part was when he brought up his immense support for KIPP and mentioned that he
was in Texas when the first KIPP School opened in Houston 20 years ago. He gave
a shout out to one of our KIPP Advisors and thanked him for his work with KIPP
in the Dallas area. It was truly moving to hear President Bush’s support for both
the Teach for America and KIPP mission and our work. He said something that I
will never forget. Possibly the best transition into motivation Monday that I
will ever have in my life again. “If it wasn’t hard, you wouldn’t be here. You
took the risk when many did not. And that shows me what kind of people you are,
and the character you have. Thank you for what you do.” -President George W.
Bush
Saturday, August 17, 2013
The start to “The Beginning”
KIPP Destiny is now
officially open for change. All the summer training, professional development
and classroom setup… and it was time. On Monday I may have felt like I was
drowning, much like comedian Jim Gaffigan describes having four children
“Imagine you are drowning and someone hands you a baby.” Well… imagine having
24 of them. However, despite the
realities of classroom potty accidents and teeth being lost by the second, by
Friday I fell in love with each of my kippsters.
An essential piece of the
KIPP culture is establishing a relationship with our kippsters and their
families by going on home visits. My co-teacher and I were able to go to
several of our students’ houses the first week of school and get to know our
kippsters and their families. These visits have already made such an impact on
our classroom and have enabled us to show our parents that this work is a
partnership and that we will combine forces to be this change.
We asked our parents about
the dreams and goals they had for their kids this year and in the years to
come. I will never forget the way their faces lit up when talking about their
child’s education and how I felt knowing that I would be helping make these
dreams possible. One of my parents in particular spoke about events that led
her to stay in Dallas and described it as “I just believe there was a reason we
were supposed to stay. I just have such a good feeling about KIPP.” I remember
the goosebumps that appeared as I pictured her daughter with a college diploma.
Every day I feel so
thankful and blessed to be a founding teacher and to be apart of the legacy
that KIPP Destiny will persist to achieve. I could never have imagined that I
would be ecstatic to wake up every day at 5 AM (after I get over the fact that
it is 5 AM) to get to the school to work with my inspirational team, amazing
co-teacher and see my kippsters.
My co-teacher has been
such an inspiration to me and I am beyond excited to see what is to come from
our partnership this year. She is such a ray of sunshine and brings upmost
positivity to every challenge along the way… even when we decided to conduct
the ever popular shaving cream activity ambitiously early for our students.
Yep, I am talking about the one where you allow them to spread shaving cream on
their desks and draw shapes and equations to practice using manipulatives. But
then in reality what happens is they decide to clap their hands and shaving
cream splatters onto all of the student’s new uniforms… how did I not see this
one coming?
Can’t wait to see what the
next week will bring and the growth that will continue.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Project Apartment
After moving from Phoenix to Dallas, then to Houston, then
back to Dallas, then Vegas… phew… we are finally settled in our Dallas
apartment! Mom flew out to help me get organized and create this adorable
set-up mostly from consignment in just 2 days! I do not know what I would do without her. Thank you
Mom!
Living Room & Kitchen
Bedroom
Closet
Bathroom
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Rise to the Challenge
This past week I was
privileged to spend the week in Las Vegas with my KIPP Destiny family for the
2013 KIPP School Summit. While many joke that I have been to Vegas a time or
two, this was definitely a trip I will remember forever.
We had the opportunity to
attend several amazing sessions with keynote speakers that are prominent
researchers and leaders throughout the nation. In addition they spoiled us with
rooftop happy hours at the Cosmopolitan, by renting out the Marquee nightclub
and hosting a glamorous gala with a Grammy award winning pop star. However, one
of my absolute favorite moments was meeting Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin, the
two founders of KIPP. I’ll admit I was very intimidated after Mike told me that
he would definitely pay us a visit to come and observe. No pressure, only the
founder of KIPP. After reading about the history and foundation of KIPP, it was
almost a dream to see them call out each of the regions for the epic “roll
call” aka chant off. I have to say our KIPP Destiny chant to Destiny’s Child
“Say My Name” and “Blurred Lines” was probably the best one yet…
I feel so incredibly
blessed to be working for KIPP, an organization that is immersed in values
based culture and continuous growth. Not only do they emphasize our role in implementing
change but they also place a high importance on self-assurance and work life
balance, which was apparent after they decided to host a conference in Las
Vegas.
The Gala and Opening
Ceremony were some of the most inspiring events that I have attended in my
life. We were able to hear KIPP students of all ages (from third grade to
college graduate) speak about their experience at KIPP and how it has
transformed their lives. They also brought in KIPP performing groups for the
entertainment, and wow, some of the most amazing performers I’ve ever seen.
From choir groups to hip hop dance teams to drum line; those kipsters were
absolutely incredible, it had me in tears. At the gala we had the honor of
meeting some of the Dallas KIPP Board members and donors, which really had me
emotional. Knowing that someone other than an educator invested their time and
savings into believing that we can make the difference melted my heart. I will
never forget shaking our board member's hand as he said “Thank you. I am so
excited for KIPP Destiny and what y’all are doing over there.”
So I will leave you with
our closing Gala video:
Friday, July 26, 2013
The beginning of a legacy
I am writing this from
within the walls of our freshly painted, brand new school, KIPP Destiny. After
much reflection, I realized how becoming a kindergarten teacher at KIPP truly
is my destiny. A destiny in which I hope to leave a legacy. When I was five
years old, I struggled through my parent’s divorce and thankfully was supported
by my very own kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Jackson. Oddly enough, the name of my
current co-teacher is… Ms. Jackson.
After having our first week
of professional development training, I already feel like my KIPP family has
become my second home. My principal and co-teachers are such inspiring and
growth oriented people. It has been such an eye-opening experience to think of
the potential that has been gathered to implement change and build a foundation
for the future of this school and the south Dallas community. It is incredible
to think that the thirteen of us are building the culture of a school that will
begin our Dallas Fort Worth KIPP region. It truly is a dream and the beginning
of a legacy.
Currently 1.6% of students
in south Dallas are considered “college ready.” KIPP is working to ensure that
our children do not fall into this statistic. In fact, KIPP is working to
eliminate these statistics and intends to open about seven new KIPP schools
within the next ten years. I feel incredibly honored and humbled to be apart of
this journey.
Not surprisingly, I still
think through my “Eller business” lens and could not feel more blessed to be
working at a startup school. A great deal of my passion for business directly
aligns with my entrepreneurial experience at KIPP through building a school
culture, a school vision, “selling our mission” to the community and analyzing
the data of our students to determine how we can continue to innovate. The
education gap was spelled out more clearly in business terms after our manager
showed us the following TED talk. If you have roughly five minutes, this will
reshape how you view the priority of education in our nation.
Some of the founding teachers with our principal in the new building
Our beautiful school
Being welcomed into the KIPP family
The TFA KIPPsters
Thursday, July 18, 2013
My First Last Day
Today was my last day
teaching my first grade class at Piney Point Elementary and the end of Houston
Institute. I am definitely going to miss them. I learned and grew immensely
from my students and from my co-teachers. I am incredibly proud of our class,
as their reading scores grew 236% from the first time we tested them four weeks
ago! Every day counts.
In just our last few days,
our students went through the five steps of the writing process and made a
final draft about their role models. We also had a lesson called the “the
rainbow fish,” where we read them the classic story and then had them decorate
their own scales and write something nice about someone and give it to them.
While teaching my students to read and write takes priority, I find that
educating my students about life lessons has been one of the many rewarding
aspects of teaching.
Today we conducted “jam
sessions” at our school, where our kids could find more information on free
student activities throughout the year. We also were able to meet some of the
siblings, parents and grandparents of our kids at the jam session. It was
wonderful learning more about where our students come from and meeting their
families. There was also a basketball player and policeman that volunteered
their time to come talk to our students about the importance of college and
knowledge in their careers. This
led into our lesson of reading one of my favorite books, “Oh The Places You
Will Go” by Dr. Seuss. We had them craft hot air balloons and write what they
wanted to be when they grow up. Not surprisingly an overwhelming amount said
they wanted to be police after hearing him talk about his career today. The
best part is, now they know they can do it and they will.
Signing
off until my next adventures at KIPP Summer Summit!
Our first grade class and faculty advisor
Reppin my wildcats at TFA College Theme Day
Props to our Collab group for winning the data entry competition!
Our CMA group... going to miss them!
Friday, July 12, 2013
Deans get pizza!
While it was unfortunate
to be working on the fourth of July, it was also a great reminder of the work
that we are doing for our country. FTK is an acronym that we came up with to
remind us that no matter how tired or exhausted we may be, it’s not about us;
it’s “For The Kids.”
A group of us went to
Galveston, Houston on our Friday off to head to the beach. While it was
definitely not the crystal blue water of the Bahamas, it was nice to relax and
talk about things other than the TAL rubric and behavior narration.
My collaborative and I
just finished our last full week of teaching our first graders. After moving
them up and down on our college themed thermometer, they finally earned their
way to the top “Deans!” We have instilled a love for higher education in the
lives of our kids. When introducing the lessons for the day, we always ask our
students “Why do you think it is important to learn this?” Rather than respond
with the casual, “So we can read and write,” our students scream, “So we can go
to college!” Every time my face lights up just thinking about how they will
forever remember learning about college in the first grade and the work we have
done.”
In our class we do an
activity called “community circle” in which we pass around a flower and share
our thoughts and feelings with other classmates. The other day we passed it
around and asked our students to tell us something that they have learned.
Several of our students responded, “I learned that I am smart and can go to
college” or “I learned what college is.” I thought right then about the many
times I have been asked in an interview, “what is your greatest
accomplishment?” Well… this is undoubtedly one of them.
When we brought in the
pizza for their party, we still had a lesson to teach before the party would
start. We quickly realized that when all the students had to randomly “get a
tissue” they would walk over to the tissue box and stare at the pizza. After
moving the tissue box across the room, it was amazing to see how many noses
were miraculously better.
It was finally time to
bust out the pizza and our kids were absolutely thrilled. They usually have to
eat cafeteria food so it was no surprise when they told us that this was the
best pizza that they have ever tasted. I reassured them that I never liked the
cafeteria food either, thinking back to my elementary experience when I wrote a
petition about the gross food and got sent to the principal… luckily for a good
reason. They each gave us a huge hug and thanked us for being teachers. Best
$40 I’ve spent in my life.
Our students of the week,
so proud of our scholars! :)
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Do it with passion or not at all
I have been at Institute
for two weeks now at Rice University in Houston, Texas. As someone put it,
“Houston is like waking face first into a blow dryer.” I couldn’t agree more,
it is about 110 with a 30% humidity at least! And I thought Phoenix was bad…
With anything you do, the
beginning is always the toughest. I’ve learned to be more flexible than I ever
thought possible. From changing lesson plans last minute to learning more
acronyms than I know words. Waking up at noon has unfortunately now become a
foreign concept. It’s now a 5 am wake up call… or 5:30 if you press snooze
three times like me. However, to say the least I can already tell how immensely
I’ve grown as a leader and as a future teacher as a result of this experience.
I am teaching first grade
this summer at Piney Point Elementary. My students are incredible and to see
them grow each day is truly inspiring and motivating. While other Corps Members
have had to deal with cursing and school fights, I feel fortunate that some of
the biggest scolding I had to do was with a few of my students that thought it
would be funny to fart at the reading circle… I quickly corrected that mistake.
My Corps Member Advisor
(CMA- I promise I’ll try to avoid all the acronyms) has been so helpful and
comforting throughout the process. She has taught me so much and will go on to
be a principle of her own school this next year. One thing in particular she
showed us was this video below. If you ever have 5 minutes, watch this. It
completely inspired me to “do it with passion” and give my 100% each day, especially
in regard to being a strong advocate for higher education.
Fortunately Teach for
America recognizes the countless hours that go into our work at Institute and
has had quite a few social events for us. This past week, we had “TFA day”
where the Corps Members from each school dressed up spirited, had chants and
challenged each other in several competitions (capture the flag, karaoke, sand
volleyball, etc.) Still can’t picture what I’m talking about? Just think of a
giant cheer camp full of passionate teachers all wanting to rep their school…
yep, pure TFA insanity. The best kind.
(Amanda and I at TFA Institute kick off)
(TFA Induction dinner in Dallas, hosted by the Mayor)
(TFA Alumni Bar Crawl, discovering our new nightlife in Uptown Dallas)
Monday, June 17, 2013
It takes change to make change.
“Help those you think you cannot.
Whatever you are attached to, let it go. Go places that scare you.”
Wow. What an incredible,
inspirational week at Teach for America Induction in Dallas. To say the least,
it has definitely been a roller coaster of emotions (and by roller coaster, I
don’t mean the navigation of the million Dallas highways).
I began my first day
feeling immensely overwhelmed. Once my Dad got in the cab to the airport, I
burst into tears… for the first time in my life, I felt completely scared and
alone. I came to the DFW Corps knowing not one single person, feeling separated
and isolated from my family and close friends. Not to mention being exhausted
from the long hours and emotional exhaustion. This foreign feeling of
“homesick” crept up on me, making me realize how much my life is about to
change.
It wasn’t until one of our
school visits that I finally realized that this overwhelming feeling of change
was the first challenge I would have to overcome in order to implement what I
came here to change. The school
principle read a quote that has truly resonated with me and reminded me why I
am passionate about this work, “Help
those you think you cannot. Whatever you are attached to, let it go. Go places
that scare you.” This quote is something that I am going to relish for the
remainder of my TFA journey and of my life.
The next day I was able to
visit the school that I will be teaching at in the fall, KIPP Destiny
Elementary. Our school is still in the process of being built, and it has come
so far! I am so incredibly blessed and honored to serve as a founding
kindergarten teacher for the school and to lay the foundation for many years to
come. The educators apart of this school are each immensely talented and
relentless individuals and I know that working with them is undoubtedly going
to grow me and challenge me as a teacher leader.
Not only do I feel proud
to be teaching at KIPP, which was founded by two Teach for America Alum, but I
am also blessed that I have been placed in the Dallas-Fort Worth TFA region.
The movement in this region is vastly supported by the community and several DFW
school districts and charters. The Dallas Mayor even came to one of our banquet
dinners to speak about the movement and it’s progress since the region opened
in 2009.
While many of the sessions
were engaging and inspiring, one of my favorite Induction memories was hearing
some of the “TFA touched” students speak at the Dallas Zoo Banquet dinner. It
was truly moving to hear their personal stories and the confidence and
curiosity that they have cultivated through their educational experience with
TFA teachers. I hope that my students will one day be up there speaking about
their future visions and how education has transformed their life by enabling
them to see the vitality within them self.
After signing my lease in
Dallas and becoming a resident in uptown, it was time to head to TFA institute
to join the rest of the Texas TFA Corps Members in Houston…
Thursday, May 16, 2013
My first post: Apples to Apples
While I do love the game, it is not the purpose of my first blog post. Some of you know that I was offered a job with Macy's in their Executive Development Program in New York City. I wanted to write a bit about why I decided to turn down the Big Apple (my dream city) to be a Corps member of TFA.
While I spent the week debating every detail and looking at the logistics, I decided to go with my heart and intuition...TFA. I feel incredibly humbled to have been chosen to make a difference in the lives of these children and bridge the achievement gap. I am confident that this will be an experience that I will relish for the remainder of my life and will be a passion that might guide me to my future career.
I'd be delighted if you would follow me along my journey.
While I spent the week debating every detail and looking at the logistics, I decided to go with my heart and intuition...TFA. I feel incredibly humbled to have been chosen to make a difference in the lives of these children and bridge the achievement gap. I am confident that this will be an experience that I will relish for the remainder of my life and will be a passion that might guide me to my future career.
I'd be delighted if you would follow me along my journey.
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