“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…
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