Dear Person,
I again apologize it has taken me so long to respond. I have been playing catch up since returning from the weekend, and finally feel like I have a little bit of breathing room.
First off, I'm glad to hear that you are interested in Teacher Corps. I am admittedly very biased, but I really feel it is the best program to not only prepare, but also support you for teaching in a critical needs environment. Like you, I worked in financial services, then fundraising, before applying for Teacher Corps. I grew up in the South and feared traffic and congestion was slowly taking years off of my life, so I moved from a big city looking for a rural Mississippi adventure - which is exactly what I got.
Like you said, the Program is a very challenging opportunity. The fall was one of the most difficult seasons of my life. I was learning the ropes as a teacher while coaching football. On top of that, I was trying to do my graduate work and plan my eventual proposal to my now fiancee. 4:30 a.m. was a regularly seen time and often times I didn't leave school until 9 p.m. Since football has concluded, things remained busy for a while, but have more or less planed out. Now I'm usually at school till 6:30ish, and am able to think a little bit more about things other than lesson planning.
I do think I'm making a positive difference, though there are admittedly times where I fear I'm doing more harm than good. Because you are basically trying to convince other people to do something that they don't want to do, you often feel extremely disrespected. At times, it is easy to take that personally and allow it to frustrate you. Teaching requires a patience I didn't know I had, but I keep having hope that ultimately this experience is not only refining my student's minds, but my own as well.
As far as application goes. I'm told there is a high demand for Math and Science teachers, so you'll have a better shot at acceptance there. Also, would you want to coach anything? I know Teacher Corps really values the teacher/coach model, so if you had any interest in coaching, it would bode well.
Teacher Corps places teachers in Northern Mississippi (Holly Springs, Sardis, Byhalia) as well as here on the Delta (Indianola, Greenville, Hollandale). As far as visiting, I definitely suggest the Delta. There are few places like it, and honestly it is a sight to see even if you end up not teaching here. When I visited, I went to a guys classroom in Greenwood and it was the defining moment in my decision to apply.
Like you said, most people will be out on Spring Break during your time. Please just let me know where you're hoping to visit, and I'll be happy to make some calls to see if anyone will be around. If I can clear up any more questions or help in any way, please let me know. I wish you the best in your application process and appreciate all of your kind words.
Take care.
