Teach For America

This has been a crazy, stressful, maxed-out week. The culprit to my stress? Teach For America. Yes, I joined countless do-goodie kids across the nation this week for  my final interview, and I can confidently say that no other interview process that I'll ever go through for the rest of my life can compare with the thourough and rigorous process that TFA makes you endure. After my interview, I was laying on my bed staring at the ceiling, without thought and completely drained. I felt like I had run a marathon. Stacey, my roommate, surveyed me and said "See, they do this to you so you know what just one day of teaching feels like." That kind of exhaustion is sobering. 

Like the rest of the application process, the interview was highly structured and extremely comprehensive. The day started out with all of us giving a stopwatch-timed 5 minute lesson. We had to teach a concept, provide visuals, give out handouts, and assess learning- all in 5 minutes!! I chose to teach the "herbivore, carnivore, omnivore" idea and made a venn diagram to help classify animals. I think I did really well- the key was obviously to pick a simple concept and practice your timing. Other kids definitely got caught mid-way through their lesson, so I felt good that I had practiced. 

The lesson portion was definitely the most harrowing part of the day. Everything was timed to the second, and we had to complete a written exam, and participate in a group discussion of interview pre-readings. We had to write an essay, and there was a question-answer session as well. Finally, we went to our one-on-one interviews. Mine lasted more than an hour, and we discussed everything from campus leadership to educational theory. I can't beleive how much they make you do in one day!

So, how did I do? Well...I think I did very well, but that doesn't mean anything. As with any interview, especially one so focused on a particular philosophy, the questions were loaded. So "how right" did I answer the questions is completely subjective. I do know that I carried myself confidently, spoke professionally, and can't identify any major mess-ups; that said, many of my esteemed peers have been rejected by the program after what they too felt were successful interviews. So, on March 10, I will find out. I'm crossing my fingers that they will place me somewhere young, warm, and exciting- I ranked a lot of southern cities. We'll see!

With the stress of TFA out of the way, I actually enjoyed my weekend very much. It was, of course, Valentine's day this weekend and I was lucky enough to have someone to share it with. Now, being the huge nerd I am, I've definitely seen my fair share of miserable Valentine's days (I NEVER GOT A CARNATION AT LUNCH....NEVER) but this one might have made up for all the bad ones. Justin reserved a huge room on top of the tallest building on campus, a room made of all windows, telling the authorities that there would be an e-board meeting that night. Instead, he actually set up a "rooftop dinner," complete with roses, fancy place settings and Miles Davis playing in the darkness. The only light in the room came from one candle on the table, the glow of the Carrier Dome and the city sparkle below.  I can't imagine how much planning and sneakiness he needed to make this happen: from precooking the food to setting up the table, it was a work of art. When we were done with dinner, we exchanged little gifts and then headed off to the Syracuse Symphony for their Valentine's day special. It was a lovely night and I'm a lucky girl!

   

My gift to Justin was a make-your-own bagel kit, since his last meal on earth might be a bagel and cream chese. Sunday, we made the bagels totally from scratch and they came out amazing!! Enjoy pictures from all my adventures this weekend, and check out last week's entry for some new bowling pics. Oh yeah, and I got a haircut! What do you think?

    

Peace and Love!