Teach For America - Any positive experiences?

Hi -

I was recently offered a Teach For America position in greater Puget Sound (Washington State) in elementary education. I graduated from college in 2018 with a degree in Environmental Science. I've working seasonal outdoor jobs for the past 1.5 years and have moved 4+ times. I'm ready to settle down a bit, as well as change careers. Teaching and public health have been on my mind for a while now. This position would give me an opportunity to have more general stability and to live closer to family and my significant other, as well as give me more economic freedom (seasonal jobs don't pay much as you can imagine). This is the first real opportunity I've had to change careers so far.

Everyone I know who has done TFA has quit or doesn't recommend doing it without a support system nearby (but still have oddly encouraged me to apply). Most of them were in the NYC corps and transplanted from the west coast. They were also teaching middle/high school. I feel like in general, things will be easier for me since western WA is my home and is familiar, so moving isn't an issue. I also have friends/boyfriend/family nearby as well. I wouldn't be assimilating to a new culture or have to start ground zero trying to find community either. The main challenge would be learning how to teach effectively. I also suffer from chronic pain, which scares me a little, but I try not to let that fear cloud my visions of the future.

I'm wondering:

1. Anyone an alumnus from the Washington/Greater Puget Sound Corps? What was your experience? How did your school/TFA support you? What general area of GPS were you in?
2. Elementary vs. Middle vs. highschool. What are the inherent challenges with each grade level for first-year teachers? (Looking for answers outside of TFA Alumn as well here!)
3. Has anyone had a POSITIVE experience with TFA? I've only heard of people having negative experiences.

Submitted December 09, 2019 at 03:21PM by orcinuselizabeth https://ift.tt/2YvS65v