Last week finished up with a bang. On Friday I had a couple of interviews with principals in Oakland (Edna Brewer and Elmhurst Community Prep) and one with a director of Special Ed for OUSD. Those got me pretty revved up. Saturday I took my CSET exams—7 hours of multiple choice and constructed response testing. Today (Mother’s Day) Anna and I drove up to her sister’s place and we did a nice wine tasting tour around the Dry Creek Valley with their mom. Delicious wine. Good company. It was the nicest possible way to wrap up the week.
One of the principals I met on Friday is interested in having a drama program at his school. Nothing would make me happier than to find a way to combine my love of theatre with my new love of teaching. It was an exciting conversation. In order to fit his needs I’d need to change my credentialing path. I’m not sure if it’s possible at this point in the TFA process, but I’ll be giving it a shot. I’m reminded of the Sir Ken Robinson TED talk about how some kids need dance and theatre and music programs as entry points into the education process. Wish me luck on making this happen.
The other great thing that happened this week was meeting some VERY bright young people in the Teach For America Bay Area Corps. I spent the day on Friday with Jonathan and Elizabeth. They’re great. A couple others really made a strong impression, too—Mike, Jackie, and Piper come to mind. I hope some of us will be assigned to the same school.