Last year, Apple donated an iPad to all TFA corps members. I spent a weekend downloading all kinds of free or cheap math games, along with some other free games and gizmos.
During lunch the following week, a few students were in my room for homework help. I gave the iPad to one of my students who struggles with his multiplication tables, and told him that he could play one of the multiplication games... but only a multiplication game.
As I worked on two-step equations with another student, I started hearing, "Vroom! Vroom!" from across the room, and I noticed that the kid was holding my iPad at an angle while tipping his head and upper body to the side.
I called, "Get off the racing app and get back on multiplication!"
What did my student have to say? "Oh my gosh, do you have x-ray vision? You saw through the back of the iPad!"
Oh, 7th graders. So mature at times, and yet so childlike at others.
Hi K! I wasn't sure the best way to get a hold of you (and not sure if you'll get this since you've been inactive on your blog), but I stayed up waaaay too late reading all of your blog posts about your experience in Germany. I spent a semester in Potsdam--ironically at the same time you were in Berlin--and your blog brought back some great Berlin memories.
ReplyDeleteI have applied for Fulbright (ETA in Germany, as well) and am anxiously awaiting word of acceptance or rejection. Why I really wanted to contact you, however, was because I have also thought long and hard about TFA, BUT I didn't think it was possible because of that overlapping time in June. When I read that you were doing both, I got super excited and was going to ask you how you worked it out. It seems like you applied while you were in Germany and flew back for an interview, right? I know some people apply for TFA and then defer the acceptance for year to do Fulbright.
If you get this, any insight would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Paul
Hi Paul! You can definitely apply for TFA and then defer it for a year. (I think there is one more deadline in January.) I applied for the ETA during my senior year of college, and then I decided to apply for TFA over the summer. The interviews happened to correspond with one of my school's breaks, so I just went home for a few days, interviewed, and flew back. (I'd recommend applying this year and deferring. If you get rejected, then you can reapply next year, and you'd still be on the same timeframe!)
ReplyDeleteThere were several of us who did an ETA followed by TFA. We got permission from the American and German Fulbright people and the school to terminate our grants a few weeks early. Rather than cutting the last month of funding, the German side asked us to make up the hours that we were going to miss. It was convenient for me because Berlin happened to get out a few days earlier than other Bundeslaender (around June 27th or so), and the school had Projektwoche the week before that. I think I left Berlin around the 10th, so I really only missed a week of instructional time.
You have to be careful when you make regional requests since some Institutes start earlier than others. There is also a mandatory week of Induction BEFORE Institute. As long as your region's Institute starts at the very end of June, you should be okay.
Thank you so much, K! May I ask if your TFA experience is still going well? I am applying for the February (the last) deadline, so if Fulbright falls through, I will post likely pursue TFA! But it would be nice to go back to German for a year first. :)
ReplyDeleteEh. In terms of stats and performance, I'm doing well. Scores on standardized tests drop steadily from 4th to 5th to 6th to 7th to 8th, and so on, and my kids' proficiency rate increased last year. In terms of personal satisfaction, well, I am placed in one of the least satisfied TFA regions, so you can extrapolate from that. Or you could imagine teaching middle school when your average class size is 34. There are regions that seem to have more positive experiences in TFA.
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