Teach for America Essays
Letter of Intent
Throughout my adult life, my experiences have led me to love teaching and have helped me amass the skills necessary to be an effective teacher. As a TFA corps member, I intend to use these skills to bring education to my students in a new and exciting way.
I am confident that I can successfully teach in the situations offered by Teach for America because I have a deep history of achieving personal goals through teaching. I first started teaching children in high school, when a friend and I founded a program to teach music appreciation to sixth graders. Concepts such as music styles and themes were discussed on a weekly basis. I then extended my experience to my peers as the drum major of my high school band, where I was responsible for teaching marching basics. My experience with the Boy Scouts also offered me many leadership positions, ultimately including Junior Assistant Scoutmaster and Eagle Scout. I was often in charge of teaching relevant scouting skills, and my Eagle Project required me to lead approximately fifteen younger scouts through the execution of several days' work. Throughout my college experience, I have continued to advance my teaching abilities: I recently became a Head Teaching Assistant for Georgia Tech's introductory computer science course. With over 1200 students enrolled in the course, I must work closely with course administrators to ensure that the class runs smoothly. In addition, my teaching responsibilities include leading two-hour recitations in which course material is reviewed, tutoring students individually outside the classroom, and grading assignments. Given these experiences, I will make a knowledgeable and confident teacher.
TFA offers me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to advance my own education while bringing knowledge and a love of science to children. My ultimate goal is to become a medical doctor, where the ability to communicate with patients will be as important as a knowledge of medicine. Adolescents are a difficult group to communicate with, but the skills I will gain as a teacher will help me overcome this barrier. My own communication and listening skills will be honed by my constant interaction with students, but communication is only a half of what I stand to gain: I also seek to understand poverty so that I may someday apply my knowledge to health care. I may never be in a position powerful enough to make sweeping changes to health care, but I can certainly apply what I learn as a teacher to my own practice.
Teaching children in underprivileged communities promises to be difficult—in fact, it is probably the largest obstacle I have ever faced—yet I am ready for the challenge. Teachers have one of the most important jobs in society, and I do not take the challenge lightly. Although I am realistic enough to realize I cannot change the life of every child I meet, I can make a big difference to those with whom I interact on a daily basis.
My Greatest Personal Achievement
Achievement for me has not come as a moment in time; it has been as a process that began over two years ago when I became a teaching assistant (TA) for the introductory Computer Science course at Georgia Tech. Philosopher Joseph Joubert said, "To teach is to learn twice." I have certainly learned more about computer science from my experiences, but the most valuable lesson learned is a deep respect and love for good teaching. I have sought always to improve the course and to improve my own teaching skills, leading me to be a Head TA for the course. Because I am a biology major, this position is an unusual and difficult achievement. My experiences have benefited those I have taught, and what I have learned in the process is priceless.
The particular course I teach employs a teaching assistant for every twenty students. All TAs hold office hours and grade their students' assignments, but their most visible task is leading a weekly recitation. During this time they answer questions, review new course material, and work example problems.
At the beginning of my sixth semester, I was offered the position of Head TA, meaning that I am responsible for additional administrative work. I still perform all the above requirements, plus I am responsible for resolving student-TA conflicts and keeping other TAs informed through weekly meetings and training sessions. I meet weekly with the professors to resolve general problems and plan upcoming course material. In addition to TA training meetings, I write weekly recitation guides for the TAs to help them cover the correct material and to provide relevant examples during recitations.
My work as a TA has been useful to those I have taught and invaluable to myself. Aside from the financial independence I have gained, I have been able to help countless struggling students as well as learn quite a bit about myself. In the process, I have gained a deep understanding of theoretical computer science and logic, which I have been able to apply to a diverse range of my other endeavors. But most importantly, TA experiences have given me the satisfaction of helping others. I have individually assisted hundreds of students over the past years (I offer tutoring to everyone in the class, not just my own students), and I always feel gratified after helping a student succeed. As a consequence, my teaching style has greatly improved over time.
This love of teaching is ultimately what has led me to Teach for America: I seek a new challenge in the classroom. Through my position as a TA, teaching has become an integral part of my life for which I am very grateful. My work as a TA has now led me to an even greater challenge: Teach for America. Obviously the circumstances here are different, but my job as a teaching assistant has prepared me well for this new and exciting undertaking.