Blog Archive for Corps Stories

Denise Bird taught in the 2008 San Jose (Bay Area) corps.

It was in early December of 2008 that I hit my breaking point.

My school day had just ended and I sat at my desk with my head in my hands.

That day I had started to implement a 100% scripted curriculum (as required by my principal). I spent a week changing all my routines and lessons to meet the new mandate. Now, my worst nightmare had come true:  Total rebellion in the classroom. Two boys fooled around with crayons in their desks; two of my strongest students yawned in the middle of the lesson; three other students asked why we were doing such boring things today. My kids were miserable. And from the looks of their exit slips from that day, they weren’t learning either.

I joined the corps full of creative and innovative ideas of how to teach. I had always imagined that my classroom would be one full of joy where kids would get to exercise both their artistic and intellectual abilities. And yet here I was, halfway through my first year, sitting at my desk feeling clueless. The mandated curriculum had replaced creativity and joy in my classroom. I saw the lack of enthusiasm in my students every day. Veteran and newer teachers alike shared my concerns—but they were ignored by our school’s administrators.

In moments like these, I would always think, “What would my mom do?” My mother is a pre-school Montessori veteran teacher with over 25 years of experience. Entering her classroom evokes the same feeling I would imagine one would have when walking through the wardrobe into Narnia. Her classroom is a magical place where learning is fun, kids are constantly learning, and there is never a missed opportunity to be creative or curious.

Photo courtesy of Denise Bird

Molly Eigen was a member of the 2009 Rio Grande Valley corps.

I threw the teacher’s edition on the floor and screamed, “I give up.” My class of 24 high school students looked at me surprised—three gasped, 21 started laughing.

“Great! We don’t like you anyway and this class is boooorrrinnng!”

“Miss, you are turning kind of red.”

“Do we finally get a real teacher?”

I gritted my teeth, turned around, and wrote on the board. . .page 27 (1-35). “Do it if you want,” I said. The three gasping students opened their books and started working. The rest swiveled in their seats and talked to friends or went to sleep.

Photo by Pageadder via Wikimedia Commons

Today’s Pass The Chalk post features reflections on family from father and daughter corps members Leila (San Antonio '10) and Scott Graham (San Antonio '11) in honor of National Family Week.

Every three years or so, I find myself longing for a change of scenery. I’m certain this is due to all of the moves I made while growing up as a military brat.  My father served 25+ years in the Air Force which taught me the importance of service before self.  It also allowed me to live and travel all around the world. I cherish my experiences in all the places we lived and believe that they provided the absolute best environment for a child to learn.

Every time we relocated, my father would research the surrounding area to determine which school would provide the best education for me and my siblings. Sometimes my father would relocate us an hour away from his job, just so we could attend a quality school. The education I received allowed me to attend the college of my choice, which in turn gave me the opportunity to discover my love of teaching and learning.

Photo courtesy of Leila Graham. 

This week Pass The Chalk features posts from contributors who learn, teach and work in Native communties in honor of Native American Heritage Month. Morandi Hurst is a 2011 corps member and currently teaches 4th-8th grade literacy and social studies at Spring Creek School in South Dakota.

There are days when I think every problem in my classroom would be solved if I were Lakota. I would have the authority to teach the Lakota concept of mitakuye oyasin, which means that we are all related, as a means of reducing bullying. I would be able to speak to my students about the reality that they can attend college, but also the struggles they will inevitably face in leaving their families and the reservation. I could solve problems from the classroom inside a sweat lodge. 

When I was accepted into Teach For America, I was confident in my abilities to fit in within my community and incorporate Lakota culture in the classroom. I had a solid background in the history of the area. I grew up on a buffalo ranch in western South Dakota, on the border of the Pine Ridge Reservation, and studied Lakota history extensively throughout college. I brought with me a wealth of knowledge from my previous reservation experiences and my academic studies. 

So during my first year, I built my classroom around Lakota culture. The rules we operated by were the Lakota virtues of respect, bravery, perseverance, and generosity. We studied “Leaders of the Week” who were frequently Lakotas who had overcome challenges they faced growing up on reservations across the state. We celebrated our own student “Leader of the Week,” Wicasa Itancan, named after the Lakota idea of a civil leader, someone who is higher ranking than a warrior, and one of the most respected individuals of the tribe.

Photo courtesy of Morandi Hurst