Drivin

We're in Fort Stockton, TX right now, don't worry I had never heard of it either and there's a reason. There is nothing here! We are staying at a hotel along the interstate, mom is currently terrified of cock roaches and trying desperately not to see one... just wait until she gets to Houston. Her first comment upon getting out of the car tonight, was wow, it's muggy! My comment was, man this feels good for Texas... I think Houston will be a shock for her! The journey has been fun. We drove from Portland to the bay area on Monday, left at 3 am and spent 12 hours driving. We arrived around dinnertime just in time for my little cousin Will's graduation from day Care/pre School. I was greeted by the newest addition to our family, little Alexandra Grace. Sasha as she is called (the Russian name for Alexandra) is 5 weeks old and the most beautiful baby girl in the world, she is wonderful; I could not put her down!

We then drove down to LA and spent the night at Erin Farrell's parents house in Redondo Beach. It was nice to see her family again; we were greeted with such amazing hospitality. The following day we spent 13 hours in Disney Land, so much fun! I had never been before! We had a great time. We stayed another night in LA then made the long haul to Albuquerque, NM. The drive was long but worth it. We stayed at Clint's house. We went to dinner with his family, then Clint showed me all around town. I was really impressed with Albuquerque and surprised by its beauty. Today we drove from Clint's to the middle of nowhere Texas. 5 more hours to go...we will make it tomorrow after a stop in San Antonio.

I have a job! I decided that I would be ok teaching special ed. So, I am going to be at Gallegos Elementary working with my housemate Nels. Gallegos is a beautiful school, fairly new and high performing. Gallegos has placed a huge emphasis on technology in the classroom, which will be fun. My position is a special ed resource specialist working with the regions 8-10 children with Ausberger's. I am going to have a lot to learn and will begin training on Monday to learn methods of working with these students. I am excited because I think my patience and personality will be great for the kids and I will enjoy the one on one work I will get to do.

I appreciate the emails and notes; I miss you guys a lot. Much love to you all! Robert

Its over!

Phew, I made it. I am home now and I cannot tell you how good it feels. Despite only being able to be home for less than 36 hours, it still feels amazing. The weather and the fresh air are enough to make me not want to ever leave this place again. However, I leave tomorrow morning to make the long drive to Houston with Mom. I am excited for the opportunity to spend a great amount of time with her. We have fun stops planned, the bay area to see our newest addition to our family, Disney Land, Albuquerque, and finally Houston. We are lucky enough to get to stay with various friends and relatives along the way.

I am so glad TFA institute ended. I am glad I persevered and survived. A lot of people did not and some were even dismissed in the last few days. I made it though! On Friday I could not wipe a smile off my face. Friday we had an open house with the parents. It was really sad to say goodbye to the boys and girls we have grown attached to. It is hard to realize that they will be out of school for month. School for a lot of these kids is the best thing for them, staying at home during the day is often a really unhealthy environment. School is safe. My kids saw so much improvement, 96% of them met their summer growth goal and all of them improved dramatically on their English speaking and listening skills. I will miss them so much!

Looking back on institute I would probably say it is the hardest thing I have ever done and the most tired I have ever been. I am so glad I stayed with it though and got through the rough times. It made me a much stronger person and ready for any challenges that I am about to face.

I had two job interviews this week. Unfortunately, I will not hear until the end of next week if I got either position. Both positions are in the 5th ward, which is the poorest area of Houston with the highest gang activity. I was extremely shocked at the destitute level when I visited the schools and drove through the neighborhoods. It will be an intense experience for sure. Both positions are 4th grade positions. One of them is at a combined elementary and middle school, which could be very interesting. That position is a 4th grade Language Arts/Social Studies position, something ideal for me!

Well, I need to go pack the car. I am so glad to be home and so fortunate to have been able to grow up in this beautiful part of the country!

Much love,
Robert

the final countdown

Four days left and I can hardly wait. I am tired. I am tired of jumping through hurdle after hurdle, I am tired of living in the nastiest cock roach infested dorm known to man, I am tired of trying to do everything right but somehow not ever being able to, and I am tired of living without paychecks and to think I have another 7 weeks until one will arrive! I really want the next four days to fly by. The past 5 weeks have been horrible. It doesn't help that I don't even have a job yet, yeah one is guaranteed but when 80% of the corps has a placement and I don't, it sucks. Teach For America is supposed to be one of the most prestigious programs in the nation and one of the most respected; I am not seeing it yet. I have been somewhat upset with how a lot of things have gone. I need to be out of institute, in my apartment, and in a classroom with my own kids.

The children are the one thing that keep me going. Its intense how closely our collaborative group has bonded with our students. I love my kids and love the progress that each one of them has made. To see them speak English as if they had been learning it their whole lives, to see them master the "th" sound and the clock (today's lesson I taught) is amazing. This summer has shown me that I have an ability to reach the worst behaving students and invest them in the lessons. The other day Jorge and I had a one on one hour where we read his sight words (words that we have in our brains that we know without having to think about it, such as "they") and read Clifford in English. Jorge said "th" words for the first time perfectly and read the whole book...this is a huge feat for a kid who was diagnosed as two grades below grade level in reading and is a complete bully. I left class teary eyed at his progress.

Thank God also for friends and for bonding in adversity. I've become close to some really outstanding people, which makes this whole thing survivable. Joint misery allows for some intense bonding.

I am really excited to go home in a week and drive down here with Mom, I am excited to get away from Houston for a little while and refocus my mind and attention away from this experience and get it ready for fall.

I really miss you guys; I miss the NW so much. I love you all.
Robert

a quick update

ugh, 2 more weeks! I can see the finish line and I can survive.