Controlled Chaos

It has begun. This morning, I attended the initial meeting of the 2006 NYC Corps.  We heard from several former and current teachers, and watched a video compiled of interviews with our fellow corps members as we arrived.  I must admit, some of the personal anecdotes lead my eyes to well up just a bit with tears.  I know I’m in the right place.

After the event, we had a break-out session with corps members that have similar placements – thus, my group was all ESL and bilingual.  We discussed TFA’s core values, and how we’lll pragmatically implement them in our classrooms.  Fun stuff.

From there, we headed to the buses.  We rode out to the Bronx, and ate lunch at our school.  We then observed in three classrooms, all of which lead by first-year TFA members.  Following this, we went to the auditorium, wherewe watched 30 minutes of a student production of Fiddler on the Roof – other groups didn’t get to do this, and it was simply incredible.

Next up, we attended a panel discussion with currennt ESL and bilingual teachers, a bilingual student, and a principal.  After speaking with them, we all headed to the basement for dinner.  At around 5, we headed home.  Keep in mind that this is induction – institue, which begins next week, will be leagues more intense.

I’ve met a lot of amazing people.  They come from all over the country (4 from MU!), from all majors, and all share similar core values.  Being a non-driving vegetarian here is much easier.  Those who know me well enough also probably already acknowledge another positive change of environment – most of my political discussions are still somewhat contentious, but in a proactive instead of reactive sense.  In other words, instead of people just disagreeing with me because they hate liberal viewpoints, and have no rational basis from which to argue, I am now surrounded by people who have great ideas, from which I can learn and temper my own views.  And I figured this out in the first day!

4.5 hours of sleep last night, so I think I’ll try to get ahead this time around.  More to come…

Money Makers: The Problem-Solver

For those who weren’t aware, I’ll be moving to New York City this Saturday to begin my two years of service in the Teach For America Corps.

I take this commitment seriously.  We all have this assumption that America is a meritocracy; that hard wrk is rewarded with good job and good pay.  But when you think about it, none of you are about to tell me that kids coming out of schools in the Bronx had the advantages you did.  Still, later in life, you will (hear others) point to some of these same nameless figures and say that they deserve the lifestyle they have because they are lazy, or stupid, or genetically inferior.

This is the new racism.  It’s called residential discrimination.  We turn a blind eye to the plight of our human brothers and sisters living only a zipcode away.  We justify our higher class in society by reassuring ourselves that we worked harder, that we are smarter by our own efforts.  Let’s pull that thread out of the myth of meritocracy, that simply doesn’t exist in America anymore.

So I’m heading to New York City, to put my time, money, and likely my tears where my mouth is.  I’ll be there, teaching English as a Second Language in the Bronx, for the next two years.  I will be bringing a fold-out couch – feel free to visit any time.

Buy less, be more,
Jonthon

Which is exactly why blog readership is going up, while traditional media is consolidating, if not contracting.  Traditional media goes to work, bloggers live their work.

props to nataliedee.com

(Click to enlarge)
(sorry)

My mommy took me to get contacts on this date.

Tonight I went fishing on the Missouri river. When I turned my back to the water and looked into the trees, I almost felt like a runway model – a thousand flash bulbs going off in every direction. I’d seen fireflies, but never that highly concentrated before. It was one of the most mesmerizing things I’ve seen in a long while – too bad I couldn’t capture it somehow…

Oh yeah, we saw AT LEAST 7 deer while driving to and from the river!

The other day, I made a realization when speaking to a friend about my departure to TFA.  Given the torrential downpours that swept Columbia last night, my mind was jostled into reminiscing, and I decided to record the thought this time around:

I feel kind of like a raindrop, coming from the heights of academia to the rocky bottom of that same system.  And just as a raindrop brings about growth, I will attempt to do the same.  I’m stricken with the thought that about 30 students are somewhere in NYC right now, alive, doing things…what are they doing, and who are they?  How long until this raindrop hits the ground, and how will it be received?  What will the rain wash away, and will it stay with me forever?

Interesting thoughts during interesting times…