Re-evaluating and pressing on!

OK, still no job and we are going into the third week of school down here. I've had potential interviews and jobs that fell through for high school special education, elementary PE, high school health, middle school science, and most recently middle school math at an amazing school where I was the "second best" applicant :( I'm pretty bummed out. The RGV placement team keeps saying they're optimistic about getting all of us jobs before the 8 week temporary pay period ends- however, I have to admit that I am losing faith in much of what they have told us about placements up until now. I cant get a clear answer about why it has been so difficult to find us jobs this year, but I do know that there are around 15 corps members like me without schools to teach in. Honestly, I'm very concerned that some of us simply wont get jobs this year. The options in October will be to defer for a year or transfer to another region in the US if there are openings. I have some serious decision making to do very soon.

So I've decided to head home to Oregon for about a week to collect my thoughts, see my amazing family that I miss mucho, and make an action plan for what I need to do when I return. I am returning, it's just a matter of if I choose to pursue transfers, wait it out, or defer for a year and get a job in the valley to pay the bills until next September. I will have quite a bit of time in the airport and plane on my way to and from home, so I'm going to do some reflecting on why it was I joined TFA and came to the RGV in the first place. I need to re-evaluate why it is I chose this path and what I can do to really serve and make a difference where I am with what I've got, regardless of the location or circumstances. God has opened up so many doors in my life for me to make it this far in my journey, and I am determined to trust Him to guide me even when I feel in way over my head...where He has seemed to take me many times throughout the past few years ;) I'll be posting again when I collect my thoughts and create my action plan. Until then, thank you all so much for your support and prayers. I so appreciate having such an amazing group of people rooting for me back home. Love y'all!

And here's a picture of Miss Chloe who I can't wait to see in less than 24 hours!!! I sent her this special shirt that says "My Heart Belongs to Texas" to remind her that her auntie in Texas loves her lots :) Such a little ray of sunshine!

Still waiting for a job...

I promised a picture of our trip to South Padre in my last post, so here it is :) From right to left: me, Karen (my roomie), Meg, and Anne

I'm still waiting for a job placement and school starts in one week! I'm getting pretty anxious but trying to stay really flexible and just roll with it. I have tentative interviews set up next week for a high school special education position in La Joya which is just 15 minutes down the highway and another high school position as a health teacher in San Benito. I think either position would be a blast to teach but there are pros and cons to each. If I got the special education position, I would be close to McAllen and get to work with a small case load of students all year which would be incredible and an amazing opportunity to get to influence a handful of students in a big way. However, it would mean a LOT of studying and a big learning curve as I work my way through the legal requirements of teaching in special education as well as taking another certification exam for k-12 special education. The health position in San Benito is right up my alley and something that I didn't realize was even an option until Friday. Unfortunately, San Benito 45 min-1 hour down the highway from where I am currently living in McAllen, which would mean another move or a lot of commute time each day.

I'm definitely more than just a little bit stressed about making my year long plan, unit plan, week one plan, learning new content, studying for a certification exam, and potentially moving all within the next week! I just keep telling myself its all been done before and I have a great support team behind me to help me make it all happen. I've been praying and seeking God's guidance in how to proceed forward as doors start opening and closing next week. I know He has a group of students set aside for me and an amazing plan for the year and I definitely want to be following the path that he has laid out for me rather than scrambling for whatever seems to be available at the moment. I would sure appreciate all your prayers as well and thank you so much for those of you who have been praying for and supporting me throughout this adventure.

In the mean time, while I wait to hit the ground running, I am taking advantage of the sunshine and time with friends here. We have had a full house with Karen and myself plus Anne and Meg and Elizabeth who are also all unplaced corps members waiting for placements. We've been having a blast together cooking, playing games in the evenings, hanging out by the pool, taking advantage of free trials at the local gyms, and exploring the valley. We've all been coping with the stress of being unplaced in different ways, which have been quite hilarious to observe in a house full of action oriented ladies. My coping mechanisms have been to work out like a maniac, eat ice cream on a daily basis, and buying shoes. After buying a pair of incredible zebra flats and turquoise flower flats I put myself on a shopping freeze until I at least get my first pay check...seriously- if I post any thing else about shopping before I post something about having a job you all need to send me harsh reprimands ;) Fortunately, the exercise craze has been counteracting the ice cream obsession for the time being. Ok, I'd better hit the gym before the day gets too much further along. Hopefully my next post will include an announcement about where and what I'll be teaching. Love y'all! Take care!

I haven't forgotten about you all :)

Hi there friends and family :)

I realized I haven't posted an update in quite some time, to I better let you know what I'm up to. I've moved to an apartment in McAllen, Texas that is centrally located in the valley with another awesome corps member who I am becoming good friends with. While I'm still awaiting a job, I have an interview tomorrow (hopefully) and there has been a lot of movement with placements over the past couple of weeks. I really hope to have a job before school starts on the 23rd, but in the past there have been corps members who were placed after the start of school and still managed to make incredible gains in their classrooms. Speaking of incredible things, you should check out this link to a youtube video about Teach For America's impact in the Rio Grande Valley and Boston:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoJSD0FmxKA

It's a really good representation of the disparity that exists here while at the same time showing what can and is being done to combat it. I will be posting again soon when I get news of where I'll be working. I have some fun pictures on my phone of a trip I took to South Padre Island with my friends so I'll get those up as well. Take care y'all :) Love ya- Meg

Pics from Induction and Institute

I just figured out how to post pictures on my blog, so here is a

bunch of pictures from my summer adventures. The first few are of me and my RGV corps member buddies on the last light of induction week and the rest are from institute of my corps member friends from 6 different regions in Texas and Florida.I hope I get the chance to tell you all about these amazing people someday because each and everyone of them are incredible people with incredible stories and incredible passion for changing the world one student at a time.

The Last Day :)!!!!

Yay :D Today is the last day of institute. My kids took their post test yesterday, and as promised, I want to share how the scores turned out. So....they were AWESOME! On average, the class average of all 15 kids went from a 70% on the pre-test (just four weeks ago) to a 90% on the post-test!!! Some highlights:

• George went from a 58% on the pre-test to an 83% on the post test
• Ellen went from a 67% to a 92%
• Jordan went from a 71% to an 88%
• Isaiah went from a 41% to an 83%
• Mary and Alia both went from 71% to 100%
• Selina went from a 63% to an 83%

My kids are rock stars and I am SOOOO proud of all the hard work they have put into getting to their goals. Many of them far exceeded the ambitious goals we set for them and only a few didn't meet them. Every one of our kids showed growth in multiple areas throughout the summer. My co-teacher and I are going to meet with the kids one-on-one today to tell them their scores and share how extraordinarily proud we are of them. Many of these kids have never been successful at school before. I truly hope this is a turning point for them and that they recognize the reality behind our constant rallying that hard work leads to great gains.

Before I sign off, I have to also give a shout out to Tobi because I got the most amazing package full of goodies in the mail last night just in time for today's final student store. Thanks a ton Tobi! You are so super thoughtful and my kids are going to love all the new additions :)

Hasta Luego Amigos! Meg

NYT article link :)

Only three days left at institute...WOOHOO!! :) I will be happy to get back to the valley, but I have to admit that I will be a little sad to leave all the amazing people that I have had the privilege of working with here in Houston. I just wanted to real quickly post a link to a NYT article that highlights the process of getting into Teach For America and also talks a little bit about this year's Houston Institute in particular. Hope you enjoy :) Hugs to ya'll!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/education/12winerip.html?_r=2

Last week of Institute!!!

Hey Ya'll :) Just wanted to post a quick update. I'm heading into my last week of institute and I am super excited to get back to the valley and have a couple weeks of down time before the school year starts. I've made so many awesome friends here and I can't believe I've only spent four weeks with these amazing people- it feels like I've been teaching with them for at least a year! Some of us are heading back to the valley together, but a good number of my new friends will be teaching in different parts of Texas or Florida. I guess it's just a good excuse to go visit different parts of the country ;)

My kids have made some fantastic progress over the past four weeks. They took a pre-test four weeks ago and then re-took the same test two weeks ago. In just two weeks, their scores were 11% higher on average. We have set individual learning goals for each students based on their pre-test scores, most of which are around 20-30% improvement. They are taking their post-test this upcoming Thursday and we will get to give them their scores on Friday and celebrate their improvements together. The class "Big Goal" is for 100% of the students to meet their individual growth goals by the post-test date. I will definitely post after the test and share how they did. I am so proud of how far they have come and know it is going to be really hard to leave them in a week. I have absolutely fallen in love with these kids. They are truly amazing and my inspiration for working relentlessly 15+ hours-a-day.

I have to shout out a few people who have been incredibly encouraging and helpful to me over the past few weeks :)

* Shout out to my amazing mom who has sent me multiple packages every week, made two trips to Corvallis to pack up all my stuff, and is driving my car across the country this week so that I have everything I need as soon as I get back to the RGV! You are a HUMUNGUS help mom- I love you much!!

* Shout out to my auntie Debbie and uncle Bob. Debbie sent me two big packages full of school supplies and has offered to stock my classroom for next year with everything I need-What an amazing blessing?! My uncle bob and her both spent all day last Sunday helping my mom move my things out of my apartment and load up my car for the trip. They are such wonderful, generous, giving people and I love them mucho too!!

* Shout out to Shawn for taking a whole week of her summer to drive across the country with my mom with all my stuff! You are amazing Shawn- thank you times a MILLION!! I owe you big time!

* Shout out to Landon for hauling some of the heaviest stuff in my apartment down three flights of stairs to help out my family when they were moving me. That's a true friend ;) And a second shout out for getting engaged to the lovely Laura!! You two are such a sweet and deserving couple :)

* Shout out to pretty much the coolest college professor ever- Marie :) She sent me all sorts of goodies for my student store and the kindest note that totally made my day. She has also inspired much of the way that I teach math and my excitement about teaching math. Thanks so much Marie!

Ok- I'm off to Rice Village to hang out with a couple of friends. I hear there is a chocolate bar somewhere around there and I'm pretty much super excited about taking advantage of that ;) Have a wonderful week and thank you all again for all the encouragement, prayers, and goodies you have sent my way. Hasta la vista amigos!