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Corps Year: 2006 |
Describe where you live.
I live in Tarboro, a historical town where George Washington once slept. It’s a small town, a place where I can leave my car and house unlocked and still feel safe. It’s a place where you can see anything from civil war reenactments in the fall to the North Carolina Symphony orchestra playing on the town commons in the spring. It has a revitalized historic downtown that includes one of Eastern North Carolina’s best restaurants, On The Square. My roommate, a fellow corps member, and I rent a house in Tarboro that another corps member had before us – a second generation corps member house.
What do you like most about living in rural North Carolina?
The people. I know that when I walk down the street there will always be someone to greet me and want to know how my life is. The man who does my dry cleaning always asks about my students, and the people who wait on me at my favorite restaurant always want to know about how things are in the teaching world. Regardless of whether you know someone or not, they want to know what’s going on in your life.
What is the nightlife and weekend life like in North Carolina?
I’m two hours from the coast – two hours from my front door to my feet in the sand. I’m four hours from the nation’s capitol and all the amazing cultural activities there, three hours from North Carolina’s own wine country, and an hour and a half outside the Research Triangle Park, which boasts its own bar scene and restaurant choices. In Tarboro specifically, in our revitalized downtown, we just got a new pub, but weekend trips are definitely the highlight. Even visiting local Lake Gaston is great for a quick dip and then sitting outside and lesson planning. We also went hiking in the mountains for spring break.
How often do you spend time with fellow corps members?
I would say on a weekly basis. We have weekend get-togethers, barbeques, and volleyball games. We also meet up at the lake and go for a swim, play games, and have dinner. In Tarboro, we have dinner at least once a month at On the Square, which is owned by two wine experts who moved here from New York City. The weekend trips always include other corps members. I see corps members at school, I see corps members that I live with, and we do anything from dinner outings to grading together over coffee to late-night snacks.
What is it like to teach in Halifax County?
It’s so much of a community that many members of our faculty consider us family. People want you to come to their church and invite you into their life. Halifax is the most family-oriented of any of the counties. We have an incredibly tight family of teachers.
How has your Teach For America experience been defined by the district or county where you teach?
I think the drastic situation that our county was in and is in now, lends itself to opportunities to lead immediately. The fact that I’m a department chair in my second year of teaching is a prime example. There are so many ways to get involved in grassroots, fundamental ways that allow you to make an impact in this community.
How do the different types of schools and communities where your fellow corps members work influence your Teach For America experience?
I think it’s an awesome opportunity to be involved across our region. I can drive two hours to see another corps member put on a drama production with their school, or be involved in a calculus academy in my school, or help with Saturday School at a KIPP school in our region. The fact that our region lends itself to so many different corps member situations lets corps members be able to take part in so many areas, and impact not just the community where their school is but students across the entire region.
Do you find you can live comfortably here on your teacher’s salary?
Yes – this area has one of the lowest costs of living I’ve ever experienced. I’ve almost completely paid off credit card debts I had after college, and I’m working on education loans now, with plenty of room to spare. I have lots of spending money, and that allows me to go on weekend trips.
What is your everyday life like?
I get up, get ready, and enjoy a cup of coffee on my way to work. I drive 30 minutes through cotton fields, tobacco fields, and soybean fields, enjoy the sunrise, avoid deer and rabbits, all on the way to my school, which is located in the most rural area I can think of. (It’s between two towns in the middle of a field.) Once I get there, I get things ready in my classroom and teach all day. After school, I take part in meetings and tutor a few students who come in for extra help. Then, I come home, either to go to the local coffeeshop downtown to lesson plan with a corps member or to enjoy dinner with my roommate, catch up on Sportscenter, grade papers, watch my favorite T.V. show, and then go to bed and start over the next day.
How has your life changed as an Eastern North Carolina corps member?
This has been the opportunity to share life with other people who are working selflessly to make a difference for other people. The life experiences I’ve shared with my students, fellow faculty members, and other corps members make me appreciate even the smallest blessings. My experience here has also made me a passionate advocate for kids in low-income areas. The education gap, to me, now has a name and a face. It’s not an idea; it’s a life…and an opportunity to change lives. I feel lucky that while I work to change the life paths of my students, my own life has been impacted in such an incredible way.
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