the final interview

So, Teach for America application process = 100% done. If I've been kind of MIA for the past week or two, it definitely was not personal, so I'm sorry if anyone feels ignored . . . I've been entirely consumed with paperwork, lesson planning, etc. I'll try to respond to emails within the next day or so. Between school, upcoming concerts, work, and Teach for America, I've had more than my fair share of work to do.

That said, I think I feel pretty good about everything. My piece with the high schoolers is coming along well, and my cooperating teacher is happy with both how the group sounds and the improvements he's seeing in my conducting. At the middle school, we ended up dropping the 8th grade piece that I thought would have to go . . . and although I was initially disappointed, I'm over it at this point. There's only so much I can do, and I did everything within my capability. Without worrying about that piece, though, we can focus on more musical details in our other repertoire, so at least there is a positive tradeoff. The 7th graders have made a lot of improvements on our piece, and the flute choir should come together because the 8th graders are doing a great job.

On the Teach for America front, I've done everything there is to do . . . at this point, all that's left to do is wait until January 21st to receive results. Today was my final interview and although there's never a way to know anything for sure, I feel positive about the experience. I feel that I did the best I could, and that I presented myself honestly and professionally. I feel that I was very upfront about my experiences, interests, and motivations. I was positively surprised to find that the other candidates were very friendly and receptive. Since this is a competitive program, you never know what to expect. . . . it's almost like an audition, and auditions are infamous for rude, cold interactions. There were only 6 of us in total, and weirdly enough, there were only women. Some of us had educational experience and some did not; some were recent college graduates and some were not. I was pleased to find everyone welcoming and encouraging; it didn't feel like a cut-throat environment, thank goodness. Both of the Teach for America staff members were laid-back and easy going, and I felt that we were able to relate well in my interview. So, all together I feel positive and hopeful and, as I've been saying, I would love to be accepted. If I'm not, though, I think I can be at peace with it because I gave it my best. If I don't make it in, I will be disappointed, but I'll know that it wasn't because of a failure on my part; I feel good about everything I've contributed and I've done everything I can. I hope that I'm what they're looking for. We'll find out next month, so send me all the good vibes that you can. :)