Teach For America Alternative Spring Break Reflection
My reflection of the week begins with the letter summarizing my perception of the events and feedback for the TFA staff that organized the trip.
Adam,
The ASB trip and program were absolutely incredible. The most valuable time to me was the time spent in the classroom. For two days, I got to experience what it was like to be a teacher. It was a phenomenal part of the trip that made sticking with Aerospace Engineering much more difficult. We were late to the introduction dinner Monday night in the TFA office so I don’t know what all took place before we could get there. However, I feel I didn’t get an opportunity to meet the other participants and develop a relationship with them. I would suggest some sort of fun team builder to get everyone acquainted and comfortable around each other. The bowling event on Tuesday was also fun, but I still feel like I didn’t have a set relationship with everyone else by that point.
Wednesday we were able to really get to know each other during the time we spent in the TFA office before we left for Zappos and in the car ride over. Having those car rides can be awkward, but it is a good opportunity to meet other people and hang out: build relationships. The Zappos office tour was a unique experience that was incredibly meaningful. While there, I became completely enveloped in their culture and lifestyle. It was incredible to see such a high functioning company with a fun culture. The lessons we were taught on effective public speaking and developing culture were invaluable.
The tour of the downtown area on Thursday was a lot of fun, but not very organized. We spent a lot of time waiting around and a good amount of time figuring out what to see. The cool part about the tour was getting to see Tony’s apartment. It was incredible, and it was not originally part of the plan. The scavenger hunt and dinner downtown were a lot of fun. It was a good time having exciting activities with the time to get to know each other in the process. Finally, we got to go zip lining over the downtown area while all the lights were on.
Friday was a pretty straightforward day. Meeting the superintendent added a lot of value to the trip. To get to hear his passion and desires for the Las Vegas community was awesome. He was very inspiring and helpful in our plan to innovate within the school district. Working on the presentation was decent. It was kind of annoying because other people stress out about our presentation. Our group had a few strong personalities who dominated our conversations, which made it difficult to speak my opinion. I found myself and another member in our group shying away from the conversations for fear of our ideas getting shot down (not the fault of TFA). The presentations went well, and the judges were very helpful. I wish that we had a better idea of something the school district was looking for. We were assuming that money was not a big issue to worry about, and the judges put a fair amount of emphasis on money.
The Friday night downtime was great for exploring the strip. I was able to hike Red Rock and see the sunrise. It was incredible. If at all possible, I would suggest the opportunity to arrive a day early and leave a day later to have the experiences that I had and more. I don’t think it would be a big deal to arrange the flights a day earlier or a day later. The added free time will add to the overall experience. It will give participants time to do things on their own if they would like to.
Overall, I would not change much of the program. I was very impressed with the program, especially being a first year program. The content was phenomenal. I just wish we had more opportunity to go exploring. Thank you to Teach For America and Zappos for the great opportunity and excellent experience. A special thank you to Adam and Victor for the time and effort into the planning and execution of the week, and another special thank you to my host Jordan and his roommate Trent for the support and opportunities they provided during our time in Las Vegas.
Please let me know if I can provide any more information.
Thanks again,
Nate
The ASB trip and program were absolutely incredible. The most valuable time to me was the time spent in the classroom. For two days, I got to experience what it was like to be a teacher. It was a phenomenal part of the trip that made sticking with Aerospace Engineering much more difficult. We were late to the introduction dinner Monday night in the TFA office so I don’t know what all took place before we could get there. However, I feel I didn’t get an opportunity to meet the other participants and develop a relationship with them. I would suggest some sort of fun team builder to get everyone acquainted and comfortable around each other. The bowling event on Tuesday was also fun, but I still feel like I didn’t have a set relationship with everyone else by that point.
Wednesday we were able to really get to know each other during the time we spent in the TFA office before we left for Zappos and in the car ride over. Having those car rides can be awkward, but it is a good opportunity to meet other people and hang out: build relationships. The Zappos office tour was a unique experience that was incredibly meaningful. While there, I became completely enveloped in their culture and lifestyle. It was incredible to see such a high functioning company with a fun culture. The lessons we were taught on effective public speaking and developing culture were invaluable.
The tour of the downtown area on Thursday was a lot of fun, but not very organized. We spent a lot of time waiting around and a good amount of time figuring out what to see. The cool part about the tour was getting to see Tony’s apartment. It was incredible, and it was not originally part of the plan. The scavenger hunt and dinner downtown were a lot of fun. It was a good time having exciting activities with the time to get to know each other in the process. Finally, we got to go zip lining over the downtown area while all the lights were on.
Friday was a pretty straightforward day. Meeting the superintendent added a lot of value to the trip. To get to hear his passion and desires for the Las Vegas community was awesome. He was very inspiring and helpful in our plan to innovate within the school district. Working on the presentation was decent. It was kind of annoying because other people stress out about our presentation. Our group had a few strong personalities who dominated our conversations, which made it difficult to speak my opinion. I found myself and another member in our group shying away from the conversations for fear of our ideas getting shot down (not the fault of TFA). The presentations went well, and the judges were very helpful. I wish that we had a better idea of something the school district was looking for. We were assuming that money was not a big issue to worry about, and the judges put a fair amount of emphasis on money.
The Friday night downtime was great for exploring the strip. I was able to hike Red Rock and see the sunrise. It was incredible. If at all possible, I would suggest the opportunity to arrive a day early and leave a day later to have the experiences that I had and more. I don’t think it would be a big deal to arrange the flights a day earlier or a day later. The added free time will add to the overall experience. It will give participants time to do things on their own if they would like to.
Overall, I would not change much of the program. I was very impressed with the program, especially being a first year program. The content was phenomenal. I just wish we had more opportunity to go exploring. Thank you to Teach For America and Zappos for the great opportunity and excellent experience. A special thank you to Adam and Victor for the time and effort into the planning and execution of the week, and another special thank you to my host Jordan and his roommate Trent for the support and opportunities they provided during our time in Las Vegas.
Please let me know if I can provide any more information.
Thanks again,
Nate
Further Reflection:
Participating in an alternative spring break trip with Teach For America gave me the opportunity to learn about and experience TFA as an organization and what the achievement gap looks like. I have talked with my Uncle Gary, a teacher who started in an inner city school, and many others about the achievement gap. Sonya Forg, a TFA recruiter and member of our leadership panel at LeaderShape, also discussed with me at length the issues facing the education system. Clark County (the Las Vegas school district) is one of the lowest performing school districts in the United States. Their graduation rates and retention rates from year to year are incomprehensibly low.
Through my experience I have grown closer to taking two years off from my engineering life that will be devoted to a life of teaching underprivileged children. Teaching is one of the ways that a person can genuinely influence other people’s lives. I want to be in a position to make a positive impact in children’s lives. I know it is unrealistic to think I will have a profound on each and every student, but I think that succeeding and improving a few students’ lives will make the entire experience worth it.
The unfortunate side of Teach For America is knowing that these students will move on to teachers next year that are not committed or passionate about helping their students. I have a hard time dealing with the fact that some teachers simply do not care enough about their students and our future generations and will let some students fall by the wayside. Providing all students with an equal opportunity in education is a huge way to make an impact in people’s lives. I want my work to have that intrinsic value associated with it so that I have a reason to look forward to coming to work every day. I have realized that making a difference in people’s lives and being a positive influence for others is the most important part of life.
I was blessed in my life with many opportunities and a great family support system behind me. Unfortunately, many students in underprivileged communities do not have that support system. I am of the opinion that teachers and sports coaches can provide that positive influence for students that can turn their life around. Where I can only hope to have such a profound influence in the life of a child, I know that I will not have the opportunities to be a direct influence as an engineer. Seeing the achievement gap first hand brought things into perspective for me and helped me realize how fortunate I was. However, it also helped me see the opening existing for positive leaders. These leaders can propel a generation many people have written off to the topmost positions in their lives.
Throughout my collegiate experiences, I have had the opportunity to attend and participate in several leadership development institutes and activities. One of the most impactful areas to use my skills and pass them on is with young students. Teach For America is an opportunity to provide and become the leader that many of these students are missing in their lives. Underprivileged students deserve all of the opportunities and benefits life has to offer. These students need someone to guide them and help them along the way; much like my parents and teachers did for me when I was growing up.
A specific example that comes to mind is the ideas that I learned at LeaderShape that have been further refined through other experiences. I want to develop and implement a high school course that helps high school students pick a major for their college experience. Part of the course would be looking into the application process. This course would also help with exploring potential sources for financial aid. Many of the students in Teach For America schools come from families with little money, and most of those students probably don’t know that the application fee at most schools can be waved with great financial need. I want to give students every opportunity to succeed. My vision is for the course’s curriculum to focus mostly on passions. The students’ passions will be matched with potential careers, and each student will spend time learning about the work they will be doing in each of the potential career matches. Hopefully, they will take the time to learn and think about if they would enjoy that career for many years.
When I went to college, engineering just seemed like the most logical choice. I was “good at math and physics, and I enjoyed problem solving”. I didn’t even look into careers like teaching and administration because engineering was pushed hard as an up-and-coming career field. I want to ensure that students going into college have a good idea of what they want to pursue and can hit the ground running. If they know the degree they hope to attain, they will be able to take the appropriate courses and, in some cases, get ahead of the curriculum. The less time it takes them to graduate, the less they have to worry about their financial situation. I think this course has the potential to help many privileged and underprivileged students succeed after receiving their high school diplomas, and I look forward to the potential success it can have.
Participating in an alternative spring break trip with Teach For America gave me the opportunity to learn about and experience TFA as an organization and what the achievement gap looks like. I have talked with my Uncle Gary, a teacher who started in an inner city school, and many others about the achievement gap. Sonya Forg, a TFA recruiter and member of our leadership panel at LeaderShape, also discussed with me at length the issues facing the education system. Clark County (the Las Vegas school district) is one of the lowest performing school districts in the United States. Their graduation rates and retention rates from year to year are incomprehensibly low.
Through my experience I have grown closer to taking two years off from my engineering life that will be devoted to a life of teaching underprivileged children. Teaching is one of the ways that a person can genuinely influence other people’s lives. I want to be in a position to make a positive impact in children’s lives. I know it is unrealistic to think I will have a profound on each and every student, but I think that succeeding and improving a few students’ lives will make the entire experience worth it.
The unfortunate side of Teach For America is knowing that these students will move on to teachers next year that are not committed or passionate about helping their students. I have a hard time dealing with the fact that some teachers simply do not care enough about their students and our future generations and will let some students fall by the wayside. Providing all students with an equal opportunity in education is a huge way to make an impact in people’s lives. I want my work to have that intrinsic value associated with it so that I have a reason to look forward to coming to work every day. I have realized that making a difference in people’s lives and being a positive influence for others is the most important part of life.
I was blessed in my life with many opportunities and a great family support system behind me. Unfortunately, many students in underprivileged communities do not have that support system. I am of the opinion that teachers and sports coaches can provide that positive influence for students that can turn their life around. Where I can only hope to have such a profound influence in the life of a child, I know that I will not have the opportunities to be a direct influence as an engineer. Seeing the achievement gap first hand brought things into perspective for me and helped me realize how fortunate I was. However, it also helped me see the opening existing for positive leaders. These leaders can propel a generation many people have written off to the topmost positions in their lives.
Throughout my collegiate experiences, I have had the opportunity to attend and participate in several leadership development institutes and activities. One of the most impactful areas to use my skills and pass them on is with young students. Teach For America is an opportunity to provide and become the leader that many of these students are missing in their lives. Underprivileged students deserve all of the opportunities and benefits life has to offer. These students need someone to guide them and help them along the way; much like my parents and teachers did for me when I was growing up.
A specific example that comes to mind is the ideas that I learned at LeaderShape that have been further refined through other experiences. I want to develop and implement a high school course that helps high school students pick a major for their college experience. Part of the course would be looking into the application process. This course would also help with exploring potential sources for financial aid. Many of the students in Teach For America schools come from families with little money, and most of those students probably don’t know that the application fee at most schools can be waved with great financial need. I want to give students every opportunity to succeed. My vision is for the course’s curriculum to focus mostly on passions. The students’ passions will be matched with potential careers, and each student will spend time learning about the work they will be doing in each of the potential career matches. Hopefully, they will take the time to learn and think about if they would enjoy that career for many years.
When I went to college, engineering just seemed like the most logical choice. I was “good at math and physics, and I enjoyed problem solving”. I didn’t even look into careers like teaching and administration because engineering was pushed hard as an up-and-coming career field. I want to ensure that students going into college have a good idea of what they want to pursue and can hit the ground running. If they know the degree they hope to attain, they will be able to take the appropriate courses and, in some cases, get ahead of the curriculum. The less time it takes them to graduate, the less they have to worry about their financial situation. I think this course has the potential to help many privileged and underprivileged students succeed after receiving their high school diplomas, and I look forward to the potential success it can have.