OT: Teach for America

[ridethecliche]

Hey guys,

I'm a college senior and I'm interested in med school. I don't want to go straight to med school after graduation, so I'm thinking of taking 2 years off and applying to the 'Teach for America' program.

The following areas are where they have programs, and I'm wondering which of these areas have good cycling communities, i.e. good locations to train, hopefully hills/climbs, good group rides, and races.

I'm very involved in education equality and I want to give back to the community after graduation. That being said, I really want to pick a region where the cycling community is strong because I enjoy it and it's a good support system.

I'm going to be applying for CT since I go to school here and like the area (but know i'll be in hartford or new haven), and I know that the bay area is really good for riding. Anywhere else?

Hopefully cost of living in the area isn't terrible cause I'll be baroake! (Anyone got a room they want to rent out haha)

Thanks in advance.

Here are the cities/regions:

o Atlanta
o Baltimore
o Bay Area
o Charlotte
o Colorado
o Chicago
o Connecticut
o D.C. Region
o Dallas
o Eastern North Carolina
o Greater Boston
o Greater New Orleans
o Hawai'i
o Houston
o Indianapolis
o Jacksonville
o Kansas City
o Las Vegas Valley
o Los Angeles
o Memphis
o Miami-Dade
o Mid-Atlantic
o Milwaukee
o Mississippi Delta
o Nashville
o New Mexico
o New York
o Newark
o Phoenix
o Rio Grande Valley
o South Dakota
o South Louisiana
o St. Louis
o Tulsa
o Twin Cities

[DukeHorn]

I would think one of your goals from Teach from America is to get outside your comfort zone. I would look to a region of the country that you haven't really experienced.

My old classmate is VP of knowledge development for Teach For America. He did his stint in the Rio Grande Valley before heading to Yale for law school (and teaching at Georgetown Law). He always told me that teaching on the border was far different than any of his experiences on the East Coast.

If you want the cycling experience, obviously the Bay Area would be a great choice. I don't know where they would place you (perhaps in the East Bay). I would imagine that if you're a New Englander that the Bay Area would not be too culturally different. Perhaps North Carolina (and the mountain bike scene) would be something new and interesting? I know there are some road teams in NC and the training weather is decent but I don't know the specifics since I haven't lived there in awhile.

[erector]

so the teach for america program is a great way to get out to communities that are in need of quality teachers, but one aspect of the program that people may not yet understand is the amount of work that goes into teaching. My first year, with curriculum development, classroom management, grading assignments, etc. was a VERY tough year, and the friends that I do have who went through the program very quickly realize the amount of time and work that goes into being a good teacher.

I'm definitely not saying that you're incapable in anyway, or that you're not dedicated, but I do want to emphasize the amount of time necessary as a new teacher, especially given you'll be working in areas that are low-performing and high-challenge kids.

That being said, the east-bay or south-bay both have great rides. Oakland, Easy Palo Alto, and San Jose would be areas where the program might send you. All areas have great riding, and if you DO get placed there, I am in desperate need of riding buddies.

Best of luck,
Erick

[Ken Robb]

the first one to jump out for me was North Carolina. First they have some of the best BBQ one can eat. Second the area and culture are very different from New England and you will gain a broad new perspective. The people are very friendly, the country is beautiful with good riding, the weather is better than most areas, and the cost of living is lower than many other places on your list. I had an internship the summer between my FR. and SR. years in college. Twelve of us :) all got the same salary and I can tell you the guy who was sent to Memphis had a lot more disposable income than I did in NYC!

[false_Aest]

I would think one of your goals from Teach from America is to get outside your comfort zone. I would look to a region of the country that you haven't really experienced.



+1

[thwart]

Daughter's friend did Teach for America and found it very, very hard work. She was teaching for awhile in the Southwest, which she enjoyed, and then in Indianapolis, which she didn't... at all. Totally different experience.

Don't know that you'll have a lot of time for cycling.

[rugbysecondrow]

My brother put off med school for three years and taught in Japan...loved it and thinks it made him better able to relate to people/patients. He is now an ER DR. In Pittsburgh.

Cheers and best of luck

[Cantdog]

You shouldnt join teach for america as a resume booster to get into medical school. First off it doesn't show your commitment to medicine or boost your case as to why you want to pursue medicine. Teaching can be related to helping people, but it's a hard sell.

Secondly, the people I knew who did teach for america because they had loftier goals got out of teach for america bitter, irritable, and considered it a waste(and really f-ing frustrating). The people who went in dedicated to teaching came out loving the experience and pursued phds in education, policy, etc. Of all those people, none took it as an opportunity to pursue a hobby or live in a city they had always wanted to be in. If you want to ride for a year, take a year off and ride, it's being more honest to yourself and those around you. I have plenty of classmates who took a year off and didnt do anything, but didn't try to blow smoke up the admissions panels' ass about how it was a year to help the community(aka ski 120 days or ride themselves into cat2s).

It's getting harder and harder to get into medical school and the average age of matriculants keeps creeping up. The biggest thing you can do is show your dedication to medicine(apart from getting apps in early, 32+ mcat, and good grades in college).

Think about what you want to do and why you want to do it. If you want to ride your bike and go to med school, get a part time job at home, study 50hrs a week for the MCATs and get a 38, ride every moment you arent studying, and then apply in a year.

[rugbysecondrow]

My brother put off med school for three years and taught in Japan...loved it and thinks it made him better able to relate to people/patients. He is now an ER DR. In Pittsburgh.

Cheers and best of luck

I should rephrase, he didn't put it off but got accepted and then deferred for 3 years. He also worked as a phlebotomist for years on weekends and summers for experience and got some really good referrals.

Cheers

[Louis]

The biggest thing you can do is show your dedication to medicine

Get a job helping Partners in Health (http://www.pih.org/youcando/employment.html)

These guys are the real deal.

[Cantdog]

Get a job helping Partners in Health (http://www.pih.org/youcando/employment.html)

These guys are the real deal.

Helps when you know Paul Farmer and get a killer rec....

But really, you gotta have the scores to even have your nonschool activities looked at. Those usnews and world report rankings are based on the entering class' mcat and average GPA along with NIH grant money. So unless you have ten associated hospitals pooling grant money, the best way to raise your # spot on those lists is to accept 'better' students on paper.

[paczki]

Teaching in Oakland is very, very, very tough. I have a friend who taught there recently for two years (in special ed, she is the picture they would put in the dictionary next to "good, caring teacher") and left to teach in the South Side of Chicago.

[Climb01742]

You shouldnt join teach for america as a resume booster to get into medical school...(snipped)...Think about what you want to do and why you want to do it. If you want to ride your bike and go to med school, get a part time job at home, study 50hrs a week for the MCATs and get a 38, ride every moment you arent studying, and then apply in a year.

+1
is this for you or for the kids? an honest answer to that will make the time more valuable to you and the kids.

[ridethecliche]

+1
is this for you or for the kids? an honest answer to that will make the time more valuable to you and the kids.

I want to do it for the kids, but having access to a hobby in that area is allowed right?

;)

[Climb01742]

I want to do it for the kids, but having access to a hobby in that area is allowed right?

;)

my post wasn't meant as a knock on you. i could have been more clear about that in my post. i helped a group named Urban Teacher Residency (http://www.utrunited.org/) with some of their marketing, and in doing that, learned a bit about teach for america. while any and all help is welcome in america's schools, some (and i repeat some) of the folks who do TFA don't do it for the noblest of reasons. and if you dig a bit deeper, the quality of teacher a kid has (particularly in more challenging schools and neighborhoods) makes a huge difference. so there are two ways to view this: what the volunteer teacher gets out of the program and what the kids in the class get out of the volunteer teacher. my point was: both angles are important.

[fourflys]

I have no idea where my post form yesterday went, but here it goes again...

First, good on you for wanting to do this, my wife is a HS Bio teacher.

My two choices, from having lived in both regions, are North Carolina or LA...

North Carolina is appealing due to the low cost of living, almost year round riding, proximity to the Blue Ridge Mtns and it's just a beautiful area! The downside vs. LA is people aren't as bike friendly or aware I think...

Los Angeles has some great pros going for it- great year round weather, an awesome cycling culture, tons of shop teams if you want to race, all the hills you could want to climb and, did I say it, great weather year round. It does have one huge con... it's LA and you have to put up with all the people and the cost of living is HIGH...

My only concern for you (talking from experiance) is the idea of putting off Med School for a couple of years turns into a lot of years.... My advice is to keep in some kind of education program to keep you in that school mindset, again this is from the experiance of waiting 14 years to continue my education...

Good Luck!

[bzbvh5]

The cycling community is pretty good despite the following. Texas in general doesn't believe in putting a sholder on any roads and the Governor recently vetoed a 3 foot passing law. Needless to say, that cyclists are in direct competition with the cars for space to ride. Not a pretty sight.

[pjmsj21]

I have two kids one a recent college graduate of a year ago and the other a senior this year, I have heard many (often conflicting) experiences with Teach for America. In short they come very close to the experiences that have been shared on this thread.

One other possible option you or others in similar situation might consider is Bike and Build (http://bikeandbuild.org/cms/). I really wish they had a program for older folks.

[Joellogicman]

Both have good and very active urban cycling communities. Not much in the surrounding suburban areas, however. If you want to get out on the open road or do some mountain biking, you have to travel, which can be a pain with budgetary and time restrictions.

Assuming you can surmount the restrictions, there is decent road riding in the western and northern regions of Wisconisn and Illinois. Iowa has great road riding. Mountain biking in Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan has its bright spots. Unfortunately, almost all of both regions are private property, and there are severe limits to where you can ride.

[SManning]

My principal's daughter works for Teach For America as a placement/recruiter. She was in New York, she's now in Chicago.

I taught in a charter school in Flint or 5 months my first year of teaching. If you really, really are passionate about working with kids and are willing to share every ounce of patience, love, compassion and even more patience with your kids on a daily basis you will love it. These kids don't have the basics (food, safety and love) so it can be really, really hard to teach them. I'm in a suburban district now, but we still have a few kids that are homeless as well as kids that show up in very nice clothing. There are days where it's really really hard, especially with class sizes of 28-31 kids. My current hardest days are better than every day that I spent teaching in Flint.

Teaching is a noble profession but I would shadow a teacher (or even as a substitute teacher) in an inner city situation before taking on something like Teach for America. Oh yeah, read the book First Days of School by Harry Wong. It will be your lifesaver and bible, classroom management is key to being an effective teacher especially in an inner city situation.