Teach For America
Today is my first post. I’ve been putting this off for awhile, because I was having trouble thinking of something worth publishing…or reading for that matter. Well, I’ve finally thought of something; something big: Teach For America.
Yesterday I had the privilege of participating in a final interview for Teach For America. The interview started with me giving my 5 minute sample lesson plan. My lesson plan was a mathematical activity that often stumps many children in kindergarten. What is it? How to identify the date on a calendar!
The lesson begins with me welcoming my students and reminding them that we are in the month of October. Since it is the 19th of the month at this point, most if not all of the students have grasped the name of the month. Next, we move on to our song about the days of the week. I begin by singing the song alone, and then the students sing along with me. As each day is sung, I point to the day on the calendar. After the song, I review Sunday-Tuesday, since these are the days of the week that have passed thus far. Then, I have a student tell me what day it is! After a student identifies the day, it is time to figure out which number is used to represent today. I have the children count aloud with me from the 1st of the month until today’s date. In Kindergarten, children learn to master counting up to at least 20. Counting all the way to 19 in October can be challenging, but the daily routine helps students to remember and to learn how to recognize dates in the future. I have a student identify that today is the 19th, and then ask for a volunteer to place the leaf with #19 onto our calendar.
If this lesson were presented by a TFA instructor in a classroom of children from a low-income community, the disparity in developmental ability would very immensely. Many parents in low-income areas lack the resources necessary to ensure their children are receiving the sensory stimulation they need. The lack of resources is often the result of geographic location, parental education,
