Matthew Phillips teaches middle school in North Philadephia.
When I walked into my classroom for the first time last September, I had a vision of what I wanted my middle school science classes to look like: I wanted students working with lab equipment to gain a better understanding of the world around them; I wanted students striving to meet the expectations I set for them; but above all, I didn’t want my students to come back to our school next year.
Matt in his classroom. Photo courtsey of Matthew Phillips.
The school I teach in is an alternative school. My students have all been transferred to here by the School District of Philadelphia for disciplinary infractions. If they show improvement, they get another shot at proving themselves in traditional settings. While the challenge they face can be daunting, I prefer to look at it as an opportunity: each of my students is at a turning point. If they can move in the right direction,they’ll experience a dramatic change in their life trajectory.
It’s an opportunity for me as well: I get to be there to help them at this critical point.
Will Nash is the executive director of Teach For America • Appalachia and lives in Hazard with his wife Katti.
I sat in the back of the room at Lynn Camp High School in Corbin, Kentucky, and listened.
“People focus on what’s wrong with Appalachia—I’d ask you to focus on what’s right in our communities. We love each other; we want a great future for our kids…we’re no different than most towns, small or large, across the country.”
The 2012 Appalachia corps members. Photo courtesy of Crystal Kinser.
Principal Amy Bays, assistant principal Anthony Pennington, two teachers, a community member, and two students spoke eloquently to a room full of our 2012 corps members. This is a part of Teach For America’s induction in our region—the initial, in-region development for new teachers.
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