Q&A

Why did you join TFA?

I wanted to become a teacher. I talked to my sister, who recommended that I look into programs like Woodrow Wilson or TFA as opposed to going back to school for several years. I applied three times to TFA because I was really excited about becoming a teacher, especially working with kids who don't have the same advantages as I did growing up.

I was hired to teach in a juvenile detention center. My background before that was working in juvenile probation with kids who were struggling and setting them up at worksites to put in their hours of service. My dad worked as a probation officer and started a nonprofit called Building Bridges in the '70s. I was born into a middle-class family but we would often have kids over at our home from non-privileged backgrounds. I would go to work with my dad and help him, through which I learned about kids that came up with different backgrounds. Even though I went to a Catholic school with upper middle class families, I would hang out more with a different set of friends and was the only white kid on my basketball team.

I earned an Engineering degree in 2009 but there weren't a lot of jobs then where I lived. I found work in a factory, which wasn't really an engineering position, and realized that I wanted to work with kids, not things. I knew I would like that because of my experience volunteering with dad growing up.

What do you enjoy about working in Indy?

There are more opportunities to try different things in Indy. TFA has a strong presence here, seemingly moreso than in Southwest Ohio or Detroit, where I lived and worked before and after the corps, respectively. There's a really good support system here through TFA, and thus it was where I turned when I decided to move. My friends are still the people I met through TFA, and a couple are still there.

Through TFA, I get to talk to a lot of people from different backgrounds. Indy is also starting to improve, as evident by IPS recently unfreezing pay. Systems are starting to listen better to teachers, as they're recognizing they won't get quality educators if they don't.

The biggest resource in Indy is also learning to keep myself happy, and Indy offers a lot of diversity. There's cultural and physical activities at any point in time that help you stay fresh and not always thinking about the classroom. I've been able to stay busy -- acroyoga, volleyball, disc golf, movies with my TFA friends. There's always a new place to eat, and so many exciting opportunities. While Indy was 7th on my list when applying to the corps, it's become a blessing in disguise.

What advice do you have for new teachers?

Keep on working in the classroom until it doesn't hurt anymore. It gets better. I wanted to quit so many times my first year, but remembered that the corps is a unique opportunity you're never going to get again. This is as hard as it's ever going to be, but you're also going to have as much support as you're ever going to get to become better and reflect on your classroom practices. You're going to have the hardest time and learn so much, but it's going to make you the best, as long as you can push through it.