TFA - Letter of Intent

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to express my interest in joining Teach For America. After learning about Teach For America I knew it was an organization that I wanted to be a part of. The commitment to optimism is something that I can bring to the program while showing respect to fellow corps members and students.

I grew up in a small rural community in mid-Michigan. The school district was a microcosm of some of the inequities in education that Teach For America seeks to remedy. While the school I attended was not able to provide the depth of experiences that nearby larger districts were able to, I was very fortunate to have parents that were educators themselves and provide me with much that was missing from my daily school life. But, many of my peers were not so fortunate.

Equality in education and opportunity regardless whether a person is from a wealthy community or the inner city is a basic human right but is not a reality for many. Working to correct that injustice is something I want to be a part of. I know that it will take many people with many skills playing many roles to accomplish this. As a member of the corps, I would be able to use my knowledge and skills in media and video production, but at this time in my life, I feel that I can contribute the most by joining the corp as a teacher.

With both parents as educators becoming a teacher seemed a natural goal for me, but I chose a different path. I completed my degree in video production which brought me to New York for an internship at Corra Films, a documentary film and commercial production company. After completing my internship I joined the staff but now as the economy has taken a downward turn my position has been one of the first to go. At this point my career is at a crossroads and joining Teach For America would bring me back to one of original career aspirations to become a teacher.

To have the opportunity to enter the classroom with the support of the corps and positively effect the lives of students would be an experience like none other. While I have a personality that would work well in a classroom - fun but calm, passionate but real, Teach For America's support through the training courses would provide me with the confidence and knowledge necessary to be an excellent teacher.

As this program focuses on closing the achievement gap of education in the United States, I can be a positive force for the effort. I would work to inspire passion in students to have them be excited about learning something will help them work to learn more and more ultimately achieving educational success.

If you have any questions for me please feel free to contact me... Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Kate Rees