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My name is Christian Simamora, and I graduated from college in 2000. Almost six
years ago, my friend nagged me to attend an information session for Teach For
America. After numerous "reminders" I bluntly asked her why it was so important to
her that I attend. I didn't want to be some substitute teacher for two years, I
told her. She looked at me and responded, "That's not what it's about. You claim
you're a leader. You claim you want to advocate for the disenfranchised, to work
for equity. Well, this is your shot. Don't let this pass you by." I relented, not
sure what this organization had to do with long term change and hoping my appearance
would get her off my back.
The decision to attend changed my life.
At the event, I was moved by the speaker's passionate retelling of the experiences
at his school and in the community. He spoke about students who, simply because of
their income levels, were being denied access to quality educational opportunities,
who were being put on the road to failure simply because of where they lived. His
eyes found mine as I sat in the back with my Yankees cap pulled low over my brow and
said, "Educational inequity is our generation's civil rights issue." He had my
attention. I left that night knowing I would apply.
As a 5th bilingual grade teacher at PS 53 in the South Bronx, I worked relentlessly
to try and level the playing field for my kids. I worked until 11 or 12 each night
honing my lesson plans, calling colleagues and applying feedback I received. I met
with each and every one of my student's families to invest them in the goals I had
set with my class. I successfully advocated for the bilingual production of all
important notices being sent home, so my students' parents would have access to the
information they needed to be involved in their children's education. It was
exhausting work, but coffee and yoga kept me going.
My days were filled with amazing highs, like our field trip to Orchard Beach to find
and study invertebrates. You should have seen Donna's face when she gently netted a
large horseshoe crab. And there was the time my class got to see the Nutcracker
Ballet after participating in workshops integrating literacy and dance - and one of
the performers missed a hoop jump and hit themselves right in the... well, my kids
couldn't stop laughing. Neither could I. ...And, there were tough lows. I will
never forget the moment I discovered that Victor wasn't merely goofing off - he
literally couldn't read, and he was already 12-years-old and in 5th grade.
Ultimately, being a teacher has been, by far, the hardest thing I've ever done. The
experience transformed me. Each day, I confronted our country's dark truth - that
in a nation based on the premise that one's eventual success and position in life is
based upon the level of effort put out, the reality is there are too many kids that
are being set up to fail, kids that are forgotten and left behind. It's not a
question of potential. It's a question of opportunity.
And, so I ask you again - what will you do with your NC State education?
If you are a leader, a person who seeks out challenges and doggedly pursues
ambitious goals relentlessly; if you believe in praxis, in helping to form a more
socially just society, where all children are getting a fair shot at fulfilling
their potential; if you understand that things don't have to be the way they are,
that things can change with hard work and focused, intelligent effort; if you are
willing to sacrifice and strive and sweat and cry and change and transform and
impact; then, I urge you to think about Teach For America.
It doesn't matter if the classroom has always been your end point, or if you want to
become a physician, or if you're looking to found a business, or if you want to go
into politics. Doing this first will give you the opportunity - now - to make a
concrete impact on our nation's most pressing social issue; it will give you the
insight and credibility to be a change agent moving forward; and it will set you up
for professional success by helping you to develop a valuable skill set in
leadership, strategic planning, management, and organization, no matter what you end
up doing.
The deadline is just around the corner on Friday, February 17. You can learn more
the movement and apply online at <http://www.teachforamerica.org/>
http://www.teachforamerica.org. Also, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at
<mailto:csimamora@hotmail.com> csimamora@hotmail.com with any questions, general or
otherwise.
And so, I ask you one last time - what will you do with your NC State education?
Christian Simamora
Teach For America Corps Member, New York City 2000
  2/14/2006 1:00:21 AM
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