Dallas / Fort Worth
First Fear Teaching Fellow
I was directed towards Urban Teachers through Americorps. I liked the mission. I appreciated the residency year and the year of coursework– I wanted to have that preparation before I had a class of my own. I like that it recognizes the teaching profession as something of high value.
The residency year? Wow, it was challenging, but I grew a lot from it. Now that I’m in my first year in the classroom, what I’m able to do wouldn’t have been possible without the residency year. And I still feel very supported. There’s a real sense of community among everyone in my cohort. Even though we meet once a week, it’s a big support system. I also like the coaching aspect. That keeps us on our toes and always improving.
There are moments in the classroom where I just get to be myself, to connect with students. One student was having a tough time the first couple weeks of school– not cooperating, arguing a lot. Two weeks ago, we had a moment where I pulled him aside and asked what was up. He looked me in the eyes, started tearing up and disclosed some family things that had been going on the past few months. Now I’m trying to provide him extra support and he’s stepped up. He’s become one of our class leaders.