TFA Weekend

This weekend, in short, was an awesome experience. About 60 of the incoming St. Louis TFA corps members arrived at the downtown Hilton on Thursday...and let me tell you, the staff wined and dined us all weekend. We sat through some seminars on Thursday and then headed out to dinner where everyone introduced themselves and got to know one another. It was great to see all the colleges represented. Wash U easily had the most people there, which makes sense considering the huge presence of TFA on our campus and the proximity of the school to inner-city STL. St. Louis University (SLU) has a strong contingent as well. The running joke from the SLU students all weekend was that they weren't multi-millionaires and thus couldn't attend Wash U. (I must not have received this memo - the last time I checked, my family is pretty middle class.) There were people from Yale, Vanderbilt, Rochester, Butler, Notre Dame - you name it.

Friday began with a classroom observation at Vashon High School. Along with three other secondary English teachers, I observed a class of sophomores learning literary devices via YouTube clips. The teacher who we observed was a second year TFA corps member, and he conducted his classroom extremely well. It was obvious that he had the respect and admiration of his students, and he was great at individually instructing them throughout the class. The kids were great. I was amazed at their concentration, and they furiously took notes during the lesson. I got a chance to talk with several of them, and I quickly found out that Vashon High is known for their football and basketball teams. One of the kids told me to talk to the Wash U football coach for him because he wanted a full-ride scholarship to Wash U. I attempted to explain to him that Wash U doesn't give out athletic scholarships, but I assured him I would see what I could do. The school was only three years old, and it was beautiful. Their gym was fantastic, and it was obviously a point of pride for the students. We got to speak with the assistant principal, and he was extremely helpful and complimentary of the TFA teachers in his building.

Saturday was interview day. We headed to Gateway Elementary on Saturday morning for the first annual TFA/St. Louis Public School interview fair. About 20 principals showed up, and most of us got to interview with at least one principal. To say the least, my interview was quite the experience. I was told I would be interviewing with Carnahan High School, so I walked into the gym and looked for the Carnahan table. The principal was all business and wasn't there to mess around. She was flanked by two assistant principals who took notes throughout the interview.

The first question that I fielded was: "I'm going to be honest. You're white. You've been priviledged your entire life. How in the world are you going to teach black kids who you know nothing about?" Wow, what a tough first question. I explained to Dr. Roach that I could have easily fled to the suburbs to teach more wealthy students, and there would be nothing wrong with that. But I have decided that the education gap in this country is unacceptable and it has become my passion to help close it. I explained to her that I wouldn't be sitting in that chair if I wasn't 100% committed to her (my) students. I told her I was willing to stay after school, come in on Saturdays and Sundays, coach, do anything in my power to reach students. I then told her about Brooklyn's story and how she inspired me to apply for TFA. If a little girl left to die in the middle of China can receive a good education, why can't the kids who were born in the richest country in the world receive the same?

She asked me what I would do if I was cussed out in front of the class (clear rules, consistent and firm consequences). She asked me if I would be embarrassed to be seen with my students out in public (of course not). She asked if I was ready to "get down in the trenches" (if I could start tomorrow, I would). Throughout the interview she remained expressionless with no hint of a smile or understanding head nods. Near the end of the interview, however, she faintly smiled and said "I think I like you." Up to that point, I didn't know if she liked me - and if I had to guess, I would have said no. But it was great to get a sort of stamp of approval from a lady that has a small chance of ending up as my boss next fall. As I walked away at the conclusion of the interview, I could hear her whisper to her colleague, "I like him." A smile covered my face as I exited the room.