Out of about ten regions that we put in for, I was surprised to be offered a position teaching English to grades 4-8 in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.
The Rio Grande Valley is a three-county area at the southern-most tip of Texas , right on the U.S./Mexico border. The average yearly temperature is 71.6'. The population is around 1.1 million. There are around 165 corps members serving 45 schools in 12 districts.This has been a very difficult decision to make. After much thought, writing, soul searching, and discussion with Richard and with family & friends, I have decided to accept the offer. I will find out later which city, school district, specific grade, and school in which I will teach.
Depending on my teaching assignment, I may live in the east Valley ( Brownsville and Harlingen ), the mid Valley (which includes Donna, Edinburg , McAllen , Mission , and Weslaco ) or the more rural west Valley ( Rio Grande City and Roma).
I’ll probably be leaving my job at the Univ. of Oregon in mid-May to report to the Valley on June 2nd for induction and will then spend a month in Houston at a summer institute. School typically starts the last week of August, but I guess teachers start 1.5 weeks before students. I will actually be working for the school district that hires me, so I will be making beginning teachers’ salary with whatever benefits are offered. I may also be able to receive an education award from Americorps after my two years and/or loan forbearance or waived interest, which would be awesome.
I am terrified, excited, mournful, intimidated, and ready for a new challenge. I know it will be a busy, relentless, and difficult lifestyle. But I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to make a difference, to join a new community, and to grow in my own strengths. I don’t know how I’ll like teaching. I don’t know how I’ll like Texas . I don’t know what city I’ll even be in or who I will live with. I don’t know how I will afford the transition. I don’t know what Richard will decide to do. I don’t know if I’ll have the bravery, patience, creativity, energy, or interest to teach K-12. I don’t know if this is the path for me. I don’t know if I’ll even want to pursue teaching after this experience. But if I never try, I’ll never know. And I want to know. And I think it will be worth it because it will be rewarding and because I think I’m up for it.
Thank you for your love and support. Please keep in touch!
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MORE ABOUT THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY & TEACH FOR AMERICA's IMPACT in general:
The achievement gap in Texas and the Rio Grande Valley is apparent when looking at student achievement across economic levels. On the 2006 8th grade state standardized math test, 81% of students who don’t receive free/reduced-priced meals met the proficiency standard, while only 53% of students who receive free/reduced meals met the standard. Students who receive free/reduced price meals complete high school at a rate of just above 50%, compared to an upper-middle class area of Dallas where roughly 98% of students complete high school (Source: Texas Education Agency).
Corps members have been successful in ensuring that their students make academic progress, even in their first years of teaching. In June 2005, Kane, Parsons & Associates, an independent research firm, evaluated the performance of Teach For America corps members by surveying the principals of schools where they teach. Nearly three-quarters of principals (74 percent) regard Teach For America teachers as more effective than other beginning teachers, while the majority of principals (63 percent) regard Teach For America teachers as more effective than the overall teaching faculty, with respect to their impact on student achievement.
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