Q&A

What challenges did you have to overcome during your first year of teaching?

I was afraid my students would think I was pretending to be a teacher, or that I would use the wrong word or offend someone. That feeling never really went away during my first year. But my confidence did improve after a few weeks. I realized that it was ok to make mistakes. And more importantly, it was valuable to model how to work through these mistakes in front of my students. This still isn’t easy. But it helped me to face the things that made me feel uncomfortable and learn what I could do about them.

How do you use the skills and beliefs you developed while in the corps?

My corps experience directly informed my current career and educational path. My ability to build relationships with diverse individuals, and help others access resources came from AmeriCorps training, practice, coaching, and my teaching experience. My organization skills and stamina--which grew during my corps years--have allowed me to work on multiple things I am passionate about. Critical thinking and making connections helps me to build teams that are successful.

What’s one big takeaway from your corps experience that you’ve carried with you?

Relationships! I really, truly love my students and the communities I was fortunate to work in, and I am so proud of the relationships I built. Coming into a new place was scary. But I was eager to learn and then use what I learned to support my students. Even though I impacted my students' academic growth, it was the relationships that meant the world to me and my teaching.