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Spotlight On: Jessica Irving

Corps Year: 2008 Alma Mater: University of Texas at Austin School: CF Rowley Alternative School Subjects/Grade levels: Eighth grade reading

Images of Greater New Orleans (GNO) on the news suggest that the city is still suffering the effects of Katrina. What is your everyday life like?

I would amend the statement to say "the city is still rebounding from the effects of Katrina.”  No one in this city has forgotten the painful experiences they endured during and after Katrina, but the response is defiance - not defeat. Myweeks herehave beenfilled with stories from students and co-workers who are making daily strides to reclaim their lives. That being said - most days I have a simple schedule. I wake up at 5:30 a.m., carpool to work at CF Rowley Alternative in St. Bernard Parish(hopefully arriving by 7:00 a.m.), set up my classroom for the day and then things start rolling. I usually take work home and finish planning for the next day on our balcony after debriefing the day with my roommates and friends. It is hard work. And sometimes it's a battle to get up in the morning and start all over again. But it's those frequentconversations with roommates, with coworkers, and most importantly with students which fuel the fire that keeps you going.

What is your neighborhood like?

I live in the Carrollton area which is close to Uptown, Mid-City and Broadmoor. Our house is on the Carrollton street car line, so there is a lot of activity on our street. People are always running with their dogsbetween the street car tracks, sitting out on their porches, talking with neighbors or walking to one of the many restaurants or music clubsin the neighborhood. Ican easily walk to the grocery, the bank, and to great coffee shops and bars on Oakif I'm feeling a little more ambitious. There are local musicians living on one side of us  and an older couple who owns the house on the other side. They are all life-long New Orleanians. Our neighbors downstairs are corps members and we were all warmly welcomed into the close-knit community.

How have your students been affected by Hurricane Katrina?

I teach in St. Bernard Parish, also known more specifically as Chalmette. All 26,000 homes in St. Bernard were destroyed or damaged by the levee breaches following Katrina. Many of my students are living in FEMA trailers or other temporary housing. Several of them lost family members in the flooding and during the evacuation process. Many of their families continue to be scattered across the country. As one student told me on the Thursday before New Orleans was evacuated for Hurricane Gustav, his family's home was meant to be finished that weekend and now he is concerned they will have to start all over again. His concerns are echoed by many of his classmates.

What is it like to teach in Greater New Orleans?

There is a lot of energy surrounding education reform in Greater New Orleans. I've found veteran New Orleans teachers to be very welcoming of Teach For America corps members, and supportive of teachers new to the area. There  are a lot of people who want to be part of the Greater New Orleans education reform movement.

How has your life changed as a Greater New Orleans corps member?

I'm a lot more responsible. It’s a powerful thing to stand in front of a group of people who expect you to teach them something. I'm also a much better performer because it takes a lot of courage and stamina to hold the attention of a group of 15-19 year-olds for 90 minutes each day.