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South Dakota

Corps member perspectives

Letter from the South Dakota

Dear Friends,

South Dakota is known as the "Land of Infinite Variety" for good reason. This is a place diverse in many ways, from the people that populate the sweeping countryside to the weather that can change every hour. Driving from East to West across the state - from the vast, marsh-dotted plains, to the striking stone formations of the Badlands, to the towering granite peaks and thick pine forests of the Black Hills - one can see the beautiful scenery transform. South Dakota is a land rich in Native American and Western culture and tradition. This region is also home to real challenges. The reservations on which our corps members teach face unemployment and poverty effecting nearly three-fourths of the population in some areas. Schools struggle to provide resources for students whose attendance is sometimes sporadic and who are often learning English as a second language. Our state as a whole labors to forge a new future out of a past that is ripe with discrimination towards the Native population. However, along with those challenges comes the opportunity to make a real difference while living in a setting unlike anyplace else.

I was born and raised in Aberdeen. I grew up with an intense pride in calling South Dakota my home. From an early age, however, I realized that not all children in this land I loved possessed my good fortunes. The quality of one's education seemed determined by where in the state one was raised. This is an important and dynamic time in South Dakota - educators and citizens across this state are working to change the harsh realities that face too many of our state's poorest children and are striving to ensure that all children have excellent educational opportunities. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be living here, serving as the Executive Director, and working with such dedicated corps members to make Teach For America a strong force for change in this community.

Each week, I look forward to driving from my home in Pierre to the classrooms of our 17 charter corps members on the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservations. As I write this letter in early fall of 2004, I am already amazed by the strides our corps members are making in providing more children with more opportunities. I am equally impressed by their efforts to get to know their students and their students' families, and to become members of their communities. They go to pow-wows, rodeos, and fairs; they leisurely stroll through the local supermarkets hoping for the opportunity to bump into their students outside of the school walls; they take classes at the local tribal universities; and they sponsor a wide variety of clubs, teams and organizations. South Dakota corps members take the time to learn from parents, teachers, and community members who are from the Reservation and benefit from the wisdom that comes from experience.

I find myself smiling when I think of our corps' enthusiasm to be living in South Dakota. They have truly immersed themselves in this wonderful region. In just a few short months they have hiked numerous trails, visited museums and monuments, and explored every corner of the state. And while corps members own cell phones that frequently don't get reception, have to drive 30-90 miles to see a movie in a theater, and do no less than six hours of driving to a professional sporting event or a symphony, it doesn't seem like they mind. What I see are people creating their own opportunities for personal and professional growth and taking the time to really get to know their communities and their fellow corps members away from the distractions often found in cities. What South Dakota might lack in convenience it more than makes up for in the beauty and quiet of the lush and varied landscape, the ability to take advantage of the outdoors, the deep regional history, and the friendships and experiences waiting to be had in its tight-knit communities.

Sincerely,

Ryan Wise (Corps '98)