Funnies

After being immersed with 800+ Teach For America corps members, facilitators, etc for 5+ weeks, I've noticed certain "buzzwords" used during sessions & conversations that never fail to make an appearance.

Fundamentally. Transformational. Push back. Action plan. Vision. Resonate. Reflect. Truly. Really. Transparent.

Here is a video that knocks some of the TFA lingo. It's important to note that not EVERYONE speaks like this, of course! This video is a bit of an exaggeration, but I got some good laughs from it.

For some more laughs, check out this Tumblr blog called "#whatshouldTFAcallme." The blog description is pretty accurate: A blog to keep TFA corps members from losing their minds along with all their free time.

End of the Beginning

Today was the end of Institute, a place where I grew as a student, teacher & leader. A place where I met so many wonderful people & teachers. A place where my heart will forever reside, because this is where I truly learned what Teach For America was really all about - and became part of the cause.

Today was the end of the beginning.

THURSDAY:

My empty classroom. Bye, summer school.

My collab. Thank you Paco, Rosa & Melissa for being such wonderful friends & teachers!

 After the last day of school on Thursday, my roommate Cindy & I celebrated at the pub on-campus. Cheers!

Representing DFW with our duck hats.

Teach For America then had closing ceremonies, filled with inspirational speeches, from 7:30 - 9 p.m. It was the last time all of the Houston, San Antonio, DFW, Rio Grande Valley & Eastern North Carolina 2012 Corps Members were united in the same room.

Program for the night.

 The ceremony also had some really cool acts - specifically a drumline from YES Prep North Central & a shuffling act by Kreativity has Spoken. Check out these videos:

FRIDAY:

My CMA, Leland, had an emergency stash of chocolate pandas for our cohort. The rule was that if you were about to have/were having a mental breakdown, you could open the box & eat a few pandas. Luckily, the box was left sealed until the final day. We celebrated by eating the pandas together :)

Holy pandas.

Cheers to no breakdowns!

My cohort. My family. Y'all are amazing.

Ducks Fly Together

I am proud to say that I survived my first week of institute! My days go from about 5:40 a.m. - 11 p.m. (if I'm lucky), so needless to say, I am exhausted. 

I have been at school attending workshops from 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., and then the rest of the day is spent lesson planning or working in groups on our assigned "homework."

***Dallas-Forth Worth region's mascot is a duck - hence, the title :)

Here is some of my week, in photos:

First day of institute! I was ready to go at 6:45 a.m., with my lunch box in hand. Looking ROUGH!

We take a bus every morning to get to our school - I am at Sylvan Rodriguez Elementary.

 

The library at Rodriguez. There are about 40 TFA 2012 corp members at my site as well.

I found out I was placed in a group led by a corp member adviser (CMA). Here's my CMA, & the note he wrote to me!

 

A note I got from a student at Rodriguez :)

Houston at 4:30 p.m. I sat on the back of the bus this day, and everyone was asleep back there except me, haha.

The entrance to Rice. Seeing this sign reminds me that my day is halfway over...

On the first day institute, the Dallas-Fort Worth, Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, and Eastern North Carolina regions were welcomed to Rice at an opening ceremony. Naturally, we had to show DFW pride, so my region made a cheer to shout out.

DFW about to practice the cheer.

Mariachis greeted us at the ceremony.

Young mariachis!

Program for opening ceremony

Getting to work when the sun is rising!

My lunch box! Lunchtime is my fav.

 I start teaching my summer school class on Monday, so my group and I made a few signs to tape up around our classroom :)

Classroom signs

Our CMA has "office hours" after we finish at the school, where he helps us write lesson plans & such. Our nights are pretty late, considering how early we have to wake up...

Midnight work session

My favorite "monument" at Rice.

I am back in DFW for the weekend for a friend's wedding - shout out to JB & Taylor, CONGRATS!!! Truth be told, I am glad to have a slight break from training. I slept about 11 hours last night, and already feel re-energized and ready to go...oh, and the pizooki helped, too!

One Week Down, Five More to go

I AM HIRED!!!

I will be teaching bilingual elementary (either 4th or 5th grade) at T.A. Sims in Fort Worth, so exciting! I was hired Wednesday, June 6th in a REALLY odd way...by "speed interviewing!" I interviewed in both English and Spanish with about four principals - it was an exhausting process.

A TFA rule is that we must accept the first job offered to us - so I gladly accepted when Principal Andrea Harper offered a position :) There are quite a few corp members already at T.A. Sims, so I know that I will have a great support system.

A text received from Principal Harper, as well as the other TFA members joining T. A. Sims

Induction at SMU - a beautiful campus

Final induction dinner at Parkland Hospital

I am now at Institute at Rice - Houston, TX! I drove the 4.5 hours by myself. I forgot how beautiful Texas country is!

Houston city

If I had toured Rice University as a high school senior, I would have immediately applied. I am IN LOVE with this campus! I'm glad TCU worked out though.

There are about 900 people training at Rice from Houston, DFW, Rio Grande Vally, & North Carolina. I have literally been running around today like a chicken with its head cut off - driving, moving, unpacking, etc. These next few weeks will be chaos, but I am so excited to start. Apologies if the blog posts slow down!

Rice University is SO amazing.

My schedule. I have to catch the bus at 6:50 a.m. each morning to teach at PRIDE Academy...

My dorm room

Rice food is DELICIOUS.

The copy room - where all 900 of us will be printing throughout the 5 weeks.

Inspiration

The resource room filled with books and people.

"One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education."

The Final Countdown

TExES exam: 9 days

Induction: 10 days

Institute: 14 days

My post-grad life has been filled with tons of work, contrary to any expectations I had. You're probably wondering what this countdown represents...well, here's a breakdown!

TExES
AKA the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards. This test determines whether or not I can even become a teacher (scary). I will be taking the Generalist EC-6 exam June 4th in Dallas, & have to pass!

The test is scored from a total of 300 points, & I need 240 to pass - or 80% correct. The paragraph below is an exert from a TFA email I received, further adding to my fear of this exam.

YOUR 1st JOB AS A TFA CORPS MEMBER IS TO PREPARE FOR YOUR TExES AND PASS IT. IF YOU DO NOT PASS, YOU WILL NOT RETAIN YOUR PLACE IN THE 2012 DFW CORPS.

Along with studying for the TExES exam, I have 40 hours of reading/prep-work to complete. This work includes readings discussing the achievement gap, classroom observation hours, & lesson planning. I have my work cut out for me.

Induction
I will be at Southern Methodist University (SMU) from June 5-June 10, where I will finally meet all other 2012 TFA Corps members within the Texas region - so exciting! We have all been communicating on a Facebook page, but it will be great to finally meet these people in person. This week-long "camp" will be filled with learning about TFA's mission, as well as meeting with our respective school districts.

Induction Schedule

I was recently placed within Fort Worth ISD (stoked) but have yet to get a specific position. I'm crossing my fingers for 3rd grade.

Institute
I literally drive straight from Induction (SMU/Dallas) to Institute, held at Rice University in Houston, TX, where I will "learn how to be a teacher" from June 10-July 14. The training so so rigorous that days start at 6 a.m. & usually end around midnight.

There are many institute horror stories online via blogs, but I haven't read any of them. I want to have/create my own perspective of the 5-week training...plus, I don't want to get too stressed (probably too late for that).

Post-grad life has yet to slow down, but I can't wait to get this TFA summer officially started.

Motivation

My dad once told me he and his brothers had to work in the Texas fields picking cotton while growing up. He said the summers were hot & the work was hard. The grueling job for minimal pay made him realize something: he needed to get out of that small town, make something of himself, & create the life he wanted.

One degree in Mechanical Engineering & an MBA later, I think my dad can safely say he succeeded. We reside in the wonderful city of Southlake, Texas, where college is not only an option, but also expected. So, although I am a proud college graduate, I expected to receive a degree from a university four years after high school.

Photo taken by Daniel Silverman

A combination of hard work, motivation & luck propelled my dad towards his life today. His brothers and sister, on the other hand, continue to reside in that small town. My dad sought out education, and became an exception to an unfair "rule" - a rule alluding to the difficulties of achieving success in a low-income Latino neighborhood.

My education from Carroll ISD was phenomenal. My teachers prepared me for college, & my knowledge gained from high school led to many merit-based scholarship offers.

My cousins, on the other hand, have not been exposed to such great public education. Both lack of necessary school funds and distractions from gangs, drugs & teenage pregnancy have impacted their abilites in the classroom. Therefore, high school graduation is a feat in itself...& college graduation? BIG DEAL.

I am the first of my cousins from my dad's side to graduate from college. Although it might have been expected for me, it is still an achievement.

I hope this degree inspires my younger cousins that were able to watch me graduate. Although the odds are against them, they are smart & capable. Maybe seeing me graduate will show them that one day they can, too.

The beginning

"Our vision is that one day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education."

In 28 days I will officially begin my journey as a 2012 TFA Corps member within the DFW metroplex. In 4 days, I will be a college graduate...& at this moment, I am filled with excitement & nerves.

I've just finished my last college exam, and reality is sinking in. I am going to be an elementary school teacher in a bilingual classroom - but did I mention I've never taught a class? Right now, the image of 20 plus students calling me "Ms. Castro" is super intimidating - but it also puts a smile on my face.

In hopes of capturing the ups & downs, the challenges and life lessons learned, I've made this blog for not only friends & family, but also myself. I love documenting experiences - as I learned while studying abroad - & know that this new chapter in life will be equally as unique as the past ones.

Follow along as I discover life as a graduate, teacher, & TFA corps member...cheers to new beginnings!