Okay, so if you don't know about this, you need to know about this, because it's going to be my life for the next two years (hopefully!). Basically, Teach For America is an organization that recruits top college graduates who want to tackle the educational gap in America by placing them in low-income areas throughout the country to teach for two years in a K-12 classroom.
Friday was the first deadline, and I submitted my application. Fingers crossed! I find out next Thursday my status. We had to submit a resume and letter of intent, among other things. I thought ya'll might like to read my letter of intent.
Teach For America Letter of Intent
by Drake Allsop
Two straight hours of calculus—for most of my classmates it was the bane of their high school experience. As for me, I looked forward to it. During the first hour, as Mr. Harris explained integrals and derivatives, I would ask lots of questions to make sure I understood. Then, during the second hour, I would quickly finish my homework so that I could spend the rest of the class helping my classmates. Fellow students would call me from across the room to come explain a difficult problem, and I was eager to help them arrive at the correct answer. In the first grade, when others dreamed of being firefighters and astronauts, I couldn’t think of anything I’d rather be than a teacher. My high school calculus class reminded me what I knew even back then—I’m a teacher at heart.
Sharing what I know with others is one of my greatest joys. When the light of understanding turns on for someone I’m teaching, my own life gets a little brighter. I want to become a Teach For America corps member because I love teaching and I understand how to help others learn. In addition, I want to make a difference in the world. I have been incredibly blessed, and I feel deeply that it is my duty and privilege to give back. I am constantly praying and searching for ways in which I can serve others. Teach For America will be a powerful way for me to make a difference and give back, while doing something I love.
As a corps member my goals would be threefold: I would want to improve myself as an educator and as a person, help those I teach to progress and reach their goals, and contribute to the growth and development of the other educators I work with, especially other corps members. I plan to continue learning and improving as a teacher during my entire corps experience. I would expect to set lofty goals with my students and work diligently alongside them to achieve our aims.
As passionate as I am about teaching, I might be even more passionate about learning. I enjoy reading books, watching documentaries, visiting museums, and asking questions to better understand the world around me. I would consider myself successful if I could ignite a spark of this same passion for learning in the students I teach. Success would be when a student gets so excited about learning that they go beyond the bounds of the class material to learn something on their own. Success would be when a student I’ve taught reaches out to help a classmate struggling with a difficult concept. Success would be when my students are not only prepared for the next step in their education, but excited for it. I will see success when habits of learning and achieving become an integral part of those students I’ve had the privilege to teach.
As we hiked back, we passed a small family with their two little children working their way up the trail. I commented about how beautiful a day it was for hiking, and the mother responded, "Better than cartoons, eh?" How true! Yeah, it's a little bit more work to get up and go hiking then sit in your pajamas in front of the TV, but how much more rewarding! Kudos to that mom, I want to be a parent like her!
