New Foundations
I took my first steps into the world of education at New Foundations Charter School in Philadelphia. I began as a member of the after school program staff. Shorty after I noticed that helping elementary students with their homework was something I looked forward to. After developing a science curriculum and planning an event to celebrate fathers, my transition to college for my degree in education was inevitable.
While enrolled in The Community College of Philadelphia and Chestnut Hill College I was hired by New Foundations as a classroom aide. When my it was time to fulfill my degree requirement of student teaching for a year New Foundations opened its doors even more. I absorbed classroom management mechanics as an associate member of the 5th grade team. Composed of teachers with different levels of experience and distinct personalities, I hoped to be a part of a group like theirs someday.
Tacony Academy
My first classroom was in Tacony Academy Charter School. Teaching science and literacy was absolute joy, but it was the students that gave my new life its flavor. It was more than observing the natural curiosity embedded in their age. They were good people through and through. I cannot imagine a more perfect group of young people to spark my career. Their influence on my life was so powerful that years later I returned to Philly from Austin to see them graduate.
Tacony taught me two things. First, the most supportive and inclusive grade team does not have to be the one you are assigned. Second, the best administrators, those who show their dedication through action, can be overshadowed by those who have lost their way. It was my first experience being scared in a profession I never thought could foster the the feeling.