Where the Riverboat Sails

I’ve been trying very hard not to post unless I had something relevant to say (it’s a blog about TFA after all), but I thought I’d give a very brief update:

-My pre-institute readings arrived in the mail this week, so I’m easing (very slowly) into that
-I graduate college in one week and two days (I’ve just got to finish, I’ve just got to finish, I’ve just got to…)
-My accommodations are booked for my Seattle-Nola road trip (ie, the move is becoming real). I leave Seattle on May 29th.
-For two of the three nights of this trek, I’ll be staying in hostels (who knew there are hostels in Texas?!) I’ve stayed in hostels in Europe, and while sleeping in a room with twelve men I’ve never met is a little odd, I’ve never had any bad experiences. I’m young, I don’t need anything fancy! Plus, who can turn down $15/night rates?

I’m not a huge football fan 364 days of the year, but because New Orleans is my soon-to-be home, I was psyched for the superbowl this year. I cheered my butt off for the Saints, and was thrilled when they won. I couldn’t help picturing the excitement and celebrating that would be going on in the city last night, and I must admit I was (ever so slightly) bitter that I wasn’t there to dance on Bourbon Street with the other fans. That aside, way to go Saints!

When I took my required secondary math teacher test 3 weeks ago, I was informed I could view my score on February 9th. I thought it was odd that they needed a month to post the score, since the test consisted of one scantron. Today, I checked the website and my score was in… I passed! In fact, I scored above the 75th percentile of all test takers. Since I’m no math genius (and was initially pretty terrified about this test), I figured I should share some advice for those currently studying for the Mathematics Content Knowledge test.

- LEARN TO USE YOUR CALCULATOR!!! I spent a month relearning how to integrate before I realized that I could do it in 10 seconds on my trusty TI-83. You can also do things like solve matrices and find max/min points, which will all come in handy for this test. I don’t regret relearning to do these things because I need to know how to teach them, but since this test is under time pressure, knowing a faster, simpler way to find the answer is useful
- Use process of elimination. Once again, with my calculator, there was a question or two where I could just plug in each answer choice until I found the right one. There’s no guessing penalty so when in doubt, pick a letter and bubble it in!
- Use the REA study guide (Research and Education Association). Reviews online say that the practice tests are too easy, but its review of the math content is fairly clear and well organized
- Study, study, study! In case you didn’t think to do that already.

I’m so glad that hurdle is out of the way. Bonne chance!

After months of scouring the internet and newspaper ads and weeks of visiting dealerships, today I finally found the one: a Honda Accord. One added bonus to my placement in New Orleans–or Nola, as it’s called by some–is that I am required (ie have an excuse) to buy a car. I LOVE driving, especially singing and driving. I’ve got a horrible voice, so the car is the one place I can really belt it out. And yes, I do get weird looks.

I decided to buy the car here in Seattle so that I could take my time in finding one, rather than running frantically around Nola like a crazy person. More importantly, my mom could help me haggle, which I have no experience doing. My car is several years old, but it only had one owner and they were fairly obsessive about its maintenance, and they mostly kept it in the garage. Therefore, it is immaculate inside and out.

The biggest bonus of buying a car here is that I get to drive it all the way from Seattle to New Orleans, a 40 hour trip (thank goodness it has cruise control). This drive may sound like hell to some, but I can’t wait. I’ve got an iPod hookup, so I’ll put on some music and use the time to mentally prepare for the two year journey I’m embarking on. I know this sounds cliche, but it’ll be just me, some tunes, and the road. And my new baby, of course.

The title says it all.

I’ve got eight weeks and counting of college left. It feels funny just typing that. Things are beginning to feel more and more surreal. I know I’m graduating, but I can’t believe that I won’t be able to use the school gym, or register for classes, or check books out from the libraries. As always happens, I am wanting to rush through the next few months because I am immeasurably excited to start my journey with TFA. After all, it’s hard to feel nostalgic about college when I’m still in it. At the same time, I know once it’s over, I will hit myself for not appreciating how easy I had it. I still can’t believe it’s mid-January, or 2010. June will be here before I know it.

Back to the point, I’ve got two months of school and class only twice a week, so I’ve had time to read a bunch of current TFA’ers blogs. My other problem over the past few months is that I’ve been obsessively waiting to hear back from law schools. Re-reading these blogs reminds me that, regardless of what happens with my applications, I know where I will be for the next two years. I’m so happy to have this opportunity to do something different. Perhaps joining a movement that has thousands of members isn’t incredibly unique, but I could have gone straight to law school or at least requested a TFA placement that I am more comfortable with, but instead I requested to teach math in Louisiana.

I also want to give a brief shout-out to all of those applicants who are waiting to hear their final decision from TFA. I have a friend who did her final interview last month. I understand what you guys are going through. Every blogger on this website does. The waiting sucks, but it is also an exciting time. My advice: distract yourself as much as possible. Good luck!

Praxis II Math: Check. Four weeks until I get my score…

With finals FINALLY over, I have hunkered down with an eggnog latte to study for the Praxis II math test, which is required to teach secondary math in Louisiana. I haven’t done any math since my freshman year of college, so I bought every review book I could find. I think it is coming back. I feel nervous/excited jitters every few problem sets when I remember that in six months time, I’m going to be teaching this stuff. Or maybe it’s just the caffeine. The test is on January 9th, so I’ve got 2.5 weeks to drill this stuff into my brain. Wish me luck, it’s going to be a fun holiday vacation…

        A few notes on my very long and dysfunctional relationship with my subject placement, math. I could accept responsibility for the ups and downs we’ve had over the years, but I prefer to do the grown up thing and blame it all on my big brother…
        My brother and I are opposites in a lot of ways. He was a senior in high school when I was a freshman. He was tall, athletic, and popular, while I was short, awkward, and spent my lunch period participating in the Latin club (fortuna fortes luvat!). To make things truly unjust, not only was my brother a total jock, he was a math genius. By jock, I mean he swam for the second best college team in the country and went to the Olympic Trials. And by math genius, I’m talking 1600-on-the-SATs-without-studying-got-into-MIT smart. I like to think I have strong logic skills though, because I realized by age 14 that comparing ourselves was a bad idea.
        The good news was I had a free, live-in tutor to help me when I was confused. Which was often. But he LOVED to tease me. Every time I did well on a math assignment, he’d say “just wait until Calculus. You are going to be BEGGING for my help…” I think I was 9 the first time he said that to me. That is when my fear of the big C started to loom. It didn’t help that in fifth grade, I got the lowest score in the entire class on our first graded math test. My confidence was shaken, bad.
        Fortunately, this fear spurred me to study hard, and I ended up doing well in math in high school. When Calculus finally did come around, my brother (in a very mature fashion) bet me $20 that I couldn’t get a 4.0 in it. I was taking the class voluntarily, and as a pre-med requirement. On the record, I studied my butt off for that grade because I wanted to go to medical school. Off the record, Banana Republic had a shirt on sale for $19.99 that I really wanted… I got the grade. I like to think my confidence in my math capabilities was restored. However, it’s been three years since I took Calculus, and I haven’t thought about math since.
        Therefore, teaching middle or high school math next year is daunting. I put math as a preferred subject area on a whim. I figured that the time I spent hating and fearing it might make me a more effective teacher. Worst case scenario, I might be making some late night phone calls to my big brother, who’s getting his PhD in Mechanical Engineering down at Stanford (did I mention I was the event coordinator of the Latin club. Take that brother!)
        Quick side note: I am no longer pursuing medical school. I became interested in it when I read Paul Farmer’s biography Mountains Beyond Mountains. It is an incredible and inspiring book about “the man who could save the world.” I recommend it with following caveat to any college students reading this: it will make you want to be doctor, causing you to tank your GPA on a bunch of terrible, weed-out pre-med classes that will make you want to spend each night crying in the fetal position. Bonne Chance!
        One last thing. I got more good news today, in the form of an acceptance letter from the University of Michigan Law School. I’m thrilled, although it’s not helping that senioritis…  
 

…Senioritis! It’s hit me like a ton of bricks (and fortunately, after midterms). I’ve got three weeks left until winter break, when I will be one ten-week quarter and a senior thesis away from a Bachelor’s.

I picked up a copy of Relentless Pursuit yesterday. A reporter spent a year following four TFA teachers working at Locke High School in South Central LA. I’m only a few chapters in, but so far it seems interesting. I also have started preparing for the Praxis II Content Knowledge exam, which I take in less than two months. It is the required test for Louisiana high school math teachers. I haven’t taken a single math course since my freshman year, when I was briefly pre-med. So naturally, I had a small freak out session. A little research quickly calmed me down. To pass in Louisiana, you only need to get roughly half the questions right. Plus the test is all multiple choice. I think I can manage that. The other good news is that I don’t have to take the Praxis I. You can forgo it if you scored above a certain number on the SAT or ACT.

Less than two weeks until Thanksgiving. Fall has been flying by, stay warm!

One quick anecdote: I was waiting for the bus outside my old high school today. A man, also waiting for the bus, asked me if I go Garfield. I need to buy some old lady clothes or something!