I’ve (Melissa) been offered a position with Teach For America!!!!! This is an absolute opportunity of a lifetime. It was a long application and interview process and I’m so thrilled to be part of this movement to end educational inequity! Further, this is more than just a volunteer opportunity; I will make the salary of a first-year teacher with benefits (a career)!

One of the reasons I was nervous about being offered a position is that there are so many Ivy Leaguers who apply. Thanks Western Michigan University; you’ve done me well! 

*If anyone reading this blog is interested in applying to Teach For America, here is my letter of intent that I submitted as part of my application. If you are interested in applying (you should!), this may help you out a little bit:

I first became aware of Teach For America through Jay Matthews’ Work Hard. Be Nice. A junior in high school at the time, I already knew I wanted to be a teacher, and my mother, also a teacher, thought I would be interested in reading this book. I was inspired by Teach For America and the mission of the Knowledge is Power Program. It was then that I knew I wanted to be a person who would dedicate my career to making a difference in the lives of urban students because, as was demonstrated through Matthew’s experience, great and determined teachers can indeed spur children onto academic success. In the urban setting especially, such teaching is crucial. My mother always held high expectations of my sister and me. When I became older I realized her example of setting goals was one I would adopt throughout my own life. I have also come to realize that not all children are lucky enough to have a mother as a role model; someone who will expect of them and guide them. Because of my strong desire to teach in an urban setting, I requested placement in struggling schools in both my teaching internships. Many of the students I work with are far below reading level. I feel these students are bright and brimming with potential; however, because life has not offered them the nurturing, guidance, and encouragement each child is entitled to, they don’t bring the necessary tools with them to school to help them learn and grow. Despite this, I believe that a caring and effective teacher can change the life course of a struggling child. As a corps member, I hope to become a source of inspiration and direction for children who may not otherwise have any in a seemingly uncertain and discouraging world. I want to teach and hold my students to the same high expectations I knew so well growing up. Moreover, I look forward to stepping into my teaching career with an open mind, working within a program that sees urban students in the same encouraging light as I do. I want to teach, but I also look forward to learning a great deal myself. When I see my students grow in the classroom, both in character and in academics, I will know I have been successful in my teaching. When I see my students become independent learners who want to learn, I will know I have accomplished much. When my students come back to visit me, years after I have taught them, to tell me they have been accepted into college, I will wear a smile all day long. And, if a generation of students I have reached come to love learning and education enough so to lift up their own children to high ideals, I will die happy.

The one and only downside–and it is quite the downside for us–is that it probably won’t be realistic for us to move to San Francisco right away. I was offered a position as part of Team Sacramento, which is slightly less than two hours from The City. Commuting every day would be a poor decision, both financially and as far as time/schedule goes. As such, we’ll most likely make Sacramento our new home for the next two years while I fulfill my commitment to TFA. But, like I said, this is such an amazing opportunity and Jake and I both agree that I would be silly not to take it! The upside is that, we’ll still be close enough to SF that Jake can still do work there as a freelancer or otherwise. Plus, with TFA on my resume, I’ll be super-duper marketable in San Francisco a couple of years down the road. And we’ll have more bank when we eventually move to SF. And we’ll have more money for vacation as it won’t all go to rent. And Shannon and Seann still want to live with us in Sacramento. Sounds good to me!

In the past 24 hours, I’ve realized that my brain likes to spell Sacr-A-mento with too many ‘e’s.

Read more about Teach For America and Team Sacramento here and here.

All images taken from Teach For America’s website.