So, I haven’t been posting about my placement process (which has finally worked out) because I didn’t want to jinx it before everything was finalized. With the help of TFA, I have secured a new placement for my second year at an amazing program. I will be teaching an Early Learn/Head Start class in a bilingual district public school in the Bronx. I had been told that I would be either in East Harlem or Washington Heights, so I was thrown a little by the placement in the Bronx, but I’m super excited. It’s a pretty good school (I obviously just Googled it) in terms of the programs it offers and the support it receives.
Additionally, the program I’m a part of only means that the school has the opportunity to become even more, as my placement program centers on building so-called “Community Schools,” where they do much more than just educate students. The goal of Community Schools is to have a place where families can come, where they have access to health care (doctors and dentists), mental health services, financial services, parent and family education, after school and enrichment programs, etc. By placing the Early Learn/Head Start programs inside the district schools, and developing Community Schools within already existing district schools, families and students also become more comfortable within the school environment. By the time students go to Kindergarten, they just go across the hall; parents and students already know the teachers and administrators, and the way the school works. Overall, it’s a pretty amazing system.
