I applied first deadline to Teach For America. I found out last night that I get to bypass the phone interview stage and have been invited to attend the final, in-person day-long interview. Yay! Over the next couple weeks, I'll need to figure out my region and grade & content area preferences. I've always said I wanted to do high school English in a large urban area like NYC, Chicago, DC, or Atlanta. I think I still feel this way, but I've recently become much more open to the possibility of a rural region like the Mississippi Delta or South Louisiana. Why? Because the need in these regions is at least as great if not greater than the need in urban areas. Because the possibility of impact is greater in a rural or small town community. I might have the opportunity to start a soccer team at an urban middle school, but it's likely I'd have the opportunity to start a soccer league in one of the rural communities. I love I love I love the city - it has been my passion for the last 3-4 years at least, but somehow I'm feeling tugged to seriously look into rural and small town America. We'll see!
By the time children growing up in low-income communities are in the 4th grade, they are already three full grade levels behind their peers in, say, Johns Creek. You know what this means? It means 9 year-old little Johnny in Nowswhereville, MS is reading "See Spot Run" when little 9 year-old Suzy in Suburbia, GA is reading Harry Potter. Fifty percent of children growing up in low-income communities will graduate from high school. That's ONE out of every TWO. Those that do graduate will read, on average, at an 8th grade level. One in ten will graduate from college. Why are more of us not enraged by this reality? We spend so much time blaming this-that-and-the-other politician and policy in our discussions of the current economic crisis; maybe we should spend more time tending to our nation's educational crisis. I honestly believe education is the key to it all - to breaking from the cycle of poverty, to realizing one's career goals, to effecting legitimate, lasting social and economic change, to reducing the crime, teen pregnancy, and substance abuse rates, the key to it all.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Like I'm Living
He's singing a song over me.
"Make a promise to me now
Reassure my heart somehow
that the love that I feel
is so much more real
than anything.
I have a feeling in my soul
and I pray that I'm not wrong
And that the life I have now,
it is only the beginning
It feels like I'm born again.
It feels like I'm living
for the very first time." - Third Day
One of the first teachings at Redeemed was on claiming our identities in Christ. The lesson included several Scriptural references to our being "born again." Prior to this teaching, I had always been somewhat skeptical of these metaphors. It's not that I didn't believe what is clearly in the Bible, but that these verses tended to be difficult for me to truly internalize. After the teaching, independent study, and prayer, I started to believe and accept and internalize it more than ever. My identity is a new creation.. Old = gone; new = here, and radiant. I am not the same as I was, and nothing can change who I am... who He says I am. I am His and I am known. And so I feel like I'm living and it feels like I'm born again. I've got this unexplainable energy and inspiration; I've got an explosion of life within me.
"Make a promise to me now
Reassure my heart somehow
that the love that I feel
is so much more real
than anything.
I have a feeling in my soul
and I pray that I'm not wrong
And that the life I have now,
it is only the beginning
It feels like I'm born again.
It feels like I'm living
for the very first time." - Third Day
One of the first teachings at Redeemed was on claiming our identities in Christ. The lesson included several Scriptural references to our being "born again." Prior to this teaching, I had always been somewhat skeptical of these metaphors. It's not that I didn't believe what is clearly in the Bible, but that these verses tended to be difficult for me to truly internalize. After the teaching, independent study, and prayer, I started to believe and accept and internalize it more than ever. My identity is a new creation.. Old = gone; new = here, and radiant. I am not the same as I was, and nothing can change who I am... who He says I am. I am His and I am known. And so I feel like I'm living and it feels like I'm born again. I've got this unexplainable energy and inspiration; I've got an explosion of life within me.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Happy Joy
I called in sick today. I am never one to miss if I don't absolutely have to. (Insert negative self - talk : ending previous sentence with preposition. Ugh!) But today, I didn't absolutely have to miss. Yes, I was beyond beyond beyond exhausted. And yes, I woke up sweating and feeling hot with a slight fever. And yes, I was achey all over. But I wasn't actively "sick." I don't have the swine flu. But I called work and said I was sick and that I was sorry and that I'd be back Monday. (I work M, T, Th). I slept ALL day, from 11PM last night until about 2PM today. Straight. (Okay, I got up for food twice.) I think my body needed sleep more than it ever has in the past. I feel ... happy. It is absolutely incredible what sleep can do for the body. I feel so refreshed.
I decided that I MUST get out of this constant stress, this panicky mindset full of anxiety that hangs over me like the most thunderous of dark clouds, or I will simply crash and burn. Crashing and burning does not have to be inevitable.
I am trying to reframe the way I perceive events in my life, and I'm relearning to choose joy. For example, rather than focusing on the 'scariness' of presenting at the Relay For Life Exec. Board meeting last night, I focused on the awesome opportunity I had to share with these wonderful, high-achieving men and women about Teach For America and how they can effect change on our nation's schools. I was still nervous and I still stuttered once or twice, but overall, it was an enjoyable experience.
I am remembering that ... Joy is an attitude, a state of mind. Happiness is circumstantial.
I might not always be happy, but I will choose joy.
Here's to choosing joy, enjoying the happiness that ebbs and flows, and taking care of ourselves so that we may serve, love, and empower others.
I decided that I MUST get out of this constant stress, this panicky mindset full of anxiety that hangs over me like the most thunderous of dark clouds, or I will simply crash and burn. Crashing and burning does not have to be inevitable.
I am trying to reframe the way I perceive events in my life, and I'm relearning to choose joy. For example, rather than focusing on the 'scariness' of presenting at the Relay For Life Exec. Board meeting last night, I focused on the awesome opportunity I had to share with these wonderful, high-achieving men and women about Teach For America and how they can effect change on our nation's schools. I was still nervous and I still stuttered once or twice, but overall, it was an enjoyable experience.
I am remembering that ... Joy is an attitude, a state of mind. Happiness is circumstantial.
I might not always be happy, but I will choose joy.
Here's to choosing joy, enjoying the happiness that ebbs and flows, and taking care of ourselves so that we may serve, love, and empower others.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Stressed is desserts spelled backwards.
Stressed = Desserts. Ha. That is ironically appropriate.
I AM SO STRESSED OUT!
But life is very good. I should not complain. I am blessed with work, school, opportunity, friends, and family.
(Then why do I feel so lonely sometimes?)
A day in the life:
5:30 - wake to "Door Bell" alarm on my phone;
6:00 - 7:15 - shower, [professional] dress, coffee, cereal & banana, e-mailS, gather 3 bags to hold all my junk!, drive to work;
8:00 - arrive at the H.T. Edwards Building, walk to SSW offices;
8:10 - check [work] e-mail. (20 new e-mails since last night?);
8:30 - Child Find screenings set-up;
9:00 - begin intake assessments for mothers of 3 year olds who may qualify for special education services;
9:45 - realize I don't know how to politely move a client on in the intake questionnaire because it's 45 minutes later and we're still talking about how she didn't even want to get pregnant; make a mental note to learn assertive facilitation skills later;
10:35 - do a D-3 for the psychologist because we're behind and short-staffed. (I don't know how to do a D-3, nor am I qualified, but I read it over quickly and successfully complete the cognitive / social-emotional / adaptive-behavioral assessment portions);
11:15 - feel sad that one mother brought her 7 year old DHH son to this preschool screening;
12:30 - team meeting during lunch; check TFA and UGA e-mails during lunch while taking notes on each case; create a professional development self-reflection doc. in 15 minutes (due EOB!);
1:45 - input data into campus student information system;
2:00 - home visit with supervisor to find out why child has been sleeping at school so much; see the power has been cut off in home for weeks; get pit in my stomach from realizing a DFCS report may be necessary in a few months when it's cold and there's still no electricity;
3:15 - review last week's YES Committee case notes; can't make sense of child sexual abuse cases...
4:00 - leave work;
5:00 - meet K and A for discipleship/counseling; listen to them pour out their hearts; try to be an encouragement; try to offer wisdom; teach on identity;
6:15 - drive to Teach For America team meeting; get snack and diet coke on the way;
6:55 - arrive
7:00 - receive J's call; put us on conference; realize one member is still absent; try to cover for him;
7:10 - review deliverables; discuss SLX tracking systems; plan for presentation at RLF exec. board meeting tomorrow;
9:15 - leave team meeting;
9:30 - get home, talk with roommate;
10:15 - crappy junky carb filled overeating dinner;
10:30 - respond to UGA, TFA, Redeemed, and CCSD e-mails;
11:00PM - start homework;
1:30AM - bed.
Where is Kelley in all this?
Repeat...
5:30 - wake.
I can't do this much longer.
I crave sleep.
Desserts?
I AM SO STRESSED OUT!
But life is very good. I should not complain. I am blessed with work, school, opportunity, friends, and family.
(Then why do I feel so lonely sometimes?)
A day in the life:
5:30 - wake to "Door Bell" alarm on my phone;
6:00 - 7:15 - shower, [professional] dress, coffee, cereal & banana, e-mailS, gather 3 bags to hold all my junk!, drive to work;
8:00 - arrive at the H.T. Edwards Building, walk to SSW offices;
8:10 - check [work] e-mail. (20 new e-mails since last night?);
8:30 - Child Find screenings set-up;
9:00 - begin intake assessments for mothers of 3 year olds who may qualify for special education services;
9:45 - realize I don't know how to politely move a client on in the intake questionnaire because it's 45 minutes later and we're still talking about how she didn't even want to get pregnant; make a mental note to learn assertive facilitation skills later;
10:35 - do a D-3 for the psychologist because we're behind and short-staffed. (I don't know how to do a D-3, nor am I qualified, but I read it over quickly and successfully complete the cognitive / social-emotional / adaptive-behavioral assessment portions);
11:15 - feel sad that one mother brought her 7 year old DHH son to this preschool screening;
12:30 - team meeting during lunch; check TFA and UGA e-mails during lunch while taking notes on each case; create a professional development self-reflection doc. in 15 minutes (due EOB!);
1:45 - input data into campus student information system;
2:00 - home visit with supervisor to find out why child has been sleeping at school so much; see the power has been cut off in home for weeks; get pit in my stomach from realizing a DFCS report may be necessary in a few months when it's cold and there's still no electricity;
3:15 - review last week's YES Committee case notes; can't make sense of child sexual abuse cases...
4:00 - leave work;
5:00 - meet K and A for discipleship/counseling; listen to them pour out their hearts; try to be an encouragement; try to offer wisdom; teach on identity;
6:15 - drive to Teach For America team meeting; get snack and diet coke on the way;
6:55 - arrive
7:00 - receive J's call; put us on conference; realize one member is still absent; try to cover for him;
7:10 - review deliverables; discuss SLX tracking systems; plan for presentation at RLF exec. board meeting tomorrow;
9:15 - leave team meeting;
9:30 - get home, talk with roommate;
10:15 - crappy junky carb filled overeating dinner;
10:30 - respond to UGA, TFA, Redeemed, and CCSD e-mails;
11:00PM - start homework;
1:30AM - bed.
Where is Kelley in all this?
Repeat...
5:30 - wake.
I can't do this much longer.
I crave sleep.
Desserts?
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Facts.
Here are the facts:
_I am a college senior.
_I work 25 hours per week as a school social work intern (unpaid) and 10-15 hours per week as a campus recruiter for Teach For America (paid). I am carrying the requisite SOWK load 17 hrs of classes. I am committed to serving as a student leader for the Wesley Foundation three nights per week.
_By the grace of God, (maybe?), I am operating at the speed of light.
_I am becoming a Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Excel wizard.
_I know how to file a Child Abuse & Neglect report with DFCS.
_I am 21 years old.
_I have learned SO MUCH about special education programs and laws and met many families with children with all kinds of developmental delays and disabilities and disorders. I don't often focus on the "dis" part of their 'situations', but on the incredible and inspiring strengths that I see in them. This is a true fact.
_At least 40 new acronyms and their meanings have committed themselves to my memory and daily vocabulary usage.
_Working with families who've experienced or who are experiencing domestic violence, child sexual abuse, child physical abuse, and/or child neglect is umpteen million times harder than you'd ever think.
_For the first time in my life, I am having to continuously improve/rethink/adjust my organizational and time management systems and skills, respectively.
_I wake up between 5:00-6:00AM every day except Saturday.
_My favorite part of each day is when I run.
_It is September 8th, 2009.
_I ran a great 10K yesterday, on September 7th, or Labor Day. It was all uphill. Metaphor appropriate.
_Conference calls aren't just something grown-ups do; they're something I do twice per week.
_I regularly use words and phrases like, "deliverables" and "contributing actionable feedback" and "moving forward..." and "best practices" and "strategic but aggressive marketing" and "progress reviews" and "data-based decisions."
_I am procrastinating right now . . . I should be prepping for a meeting in 33 minutes.
_I have some interesting questions about my faith, lately.
_Too many of these sentences started with "I".
_I miss the refugee families that I worked with all summer. Kumar called last night. He said, "Yeah, so, it is me, Kumar; I am wanting to hear you, Kelley. You are not calling us and I am missing you very much so please, be calling us soon." Esther sent me a text message the other day that said, "It is me, Esther. When we meet? I am missing you."
_I left my computer charger at home yesterday. Crap.
_I have three e-mail accounts and two voice mails to check every day.
_I am trying to reframe things so as not to feel stressed out, anxious, overwhelmed, etc. all the time. It is working alright so far.
_I love discipleship, both the discipling (pouring out) and the getting discipled (receiving in) parts.
_I've been challenged to actually observe the Sabbath this year. On the very first week of this challenge, I failed miserably.
_Two people very close to me are currently experiencing heart ache and hurt. It hurts to see them hurt. Their situation has, amongst other things, served as a catalyst to get me praying again. Funny how God works.
_Life is beautiful. (Is it? Or is that just something people say? After the YES! Committee meeting / hearing today, I'm not so sure.)
_God is beautiful.
_I am a college senior.
_I work 25 hours per week as a school social work intern (unpaid) and 10-15 hours per week as a campus recruiter for Teach For America (paid). I am carrying the requisite SOWK load 17 hrs of classes. I am committed to serving as a student leader for the Wesley Foundation three nights per week.
_By the grace of God, (maybe?), I am operating at the speed of light.
_I am becoming a Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Excel wizard.
_I know how to file a Child Abuse & Neglect report with DFCS.
_I am 21 years old.
_I have learned SO MUCH about special education programs and laws and met many families with children with all kinds of developmental delays and disabilities and disorders. I don't often focus on the "dis" part of their 'situations', but on the incredible and inspiring strengths that I see in them. This is a true fact.
_At least 40 new acronyms and their meanings have committed themselves to my memory and daily vocabulary usage.
_Working with families who've experienced or who are experiencing domestic violence, child sexual abuse, child physical abuse, and/or child neglect is umpteen million times harder than you'd ever think.
_For the first time in my life, I am having to continuously improve/rethink/adjust my organizational and time management systems and skills, respectively.
_I wake up between 5:00-6:00AM every day except Saturday.
_My favorite part of each day is when I run.
_It is September 8th, 2009.
_I ran a great 10K yesterday, on September 7th, or Labor Day. It was all uphill. Metaphor appropriate.
_Conference calls aren't just something grown-ups do; they're something I do twice per week.
_I regularly use words and phrases like, "deliverables" and "contributing actionable feedback" and "moving forward..." and "best practices" and "strategic but aggressive marketing" and "progress reviews" and "data-based decisions."
_I am procrastinating right now . . . I should be prepping for a meeting in 33 minutes.
_I have some interesting questions about my faith, lately.
_Too many of these sentences started with "I".
_I miss the refugee families that I worked with all summer. Kumar called last night. He said, "Yeah, so, it is me, Kumar; I am wanting to hear you, Kelley. You are not calling us and I am missing you very much so please, be calling us soon." Esther sent me a text message the other day that said, "It is me, Esther. When we meet? I am missing you."
_I left my computer charger at home yesterday. Crap.
_I have three e-mail accounts and two voice mails to check every day.
_I am trying to reframe things so as not to feel stressed out, anxious, overwhelmed, etc. all the time. It is working alright so far.
_I love discipleship, both the discipling (pouring out) and the getting discipled (receiving in) parts.
_I've been challenged to actually observe the Sabbath this year. On the very first week of this challenge, I failed miserably.
_Two people very close to me are currently experiencing heart ache and hurt. It hurts to see them hurt. Their situation has, amongst other things, served as a catalyst to get me praying again. Funny how God works.
_Life is beautiful. (Is it? Or is that just something people say? After the YES! Committee meeting / hearing today, I'm not so sure.)
_God is beautiful.
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