On the Dave Congalton Show

A few weeks ago, I was a guest on the Dave Congalton radio show in San Luis Obispo, CA.  I had the opportunity to speak with him for about an hour on my past experiences with Teach For America, as well as what I will be doing once I head off to Kenya.   A few people called in at the end of the show and said some really inspiring things about the work that I want to do there.  Strangely, enough both callers that he took were named Tony (men though).  Could it be that people feel compelled to call into radio stations when they hear their name on the radio?  It was a weird coincidence.  

Dave was a funny guy.   Most of his questions centered around "Why!?"  Most of my answers centered around, "This is an unbelievable opportunity for me to take the hard skills I learned with TFA and really try to effect change on a greater level," or something like that.  I have received phone calls from family members and thoughtful greeting cards from people I know asking the same thing.  WHY?  Why are you leaving for an impoverished country?  What will you accomplish there?  My natural reaction is to think to think to myself, "Why not?"  

I thought about it again today when I watched the Dow crumble 700 points with the S & P down something ridiculous like 39%.  I had thought about applying for consulting jobs last fall, intrigued by the McKinsey rubrics that I used when I was interviewing 21 and 22 years olds for Teach For America last year.  I'm quite happy I didn't.  And then I remembered a man from a StartingBloc conference at Columbia tell us why we should be interested in social entrepreneurship and helping to change people's lives for the better.  He said something along the lines of, "Humans are animals.  And like other animals, we have an intuition, an instinct if you will, that calls to us when others of our kind are in danger or suffering.  We know when something is wrong with the world, and we feel an unsettling feeling, a fear, a slight panic that things need to change.  We need to help each other to get there."  I'm sure I didn't do his words justice.  But as our American financial system took a beating today, as I watch record numbers of people apply to programs like Teach For America, and as I get another letter from someone offering support for my trip, I think I've begun to understand what he meant.  If there are problems, we will fix them.  

So, to answer Dave's question, I'm going to Kenya to offer my skills in education, because I can't help but ignore the problems that I see.  They are too painful to watch without trying to do something about them.  

If you're interested in hearing the podcast of me on Dave's show, please click the following link.  (It takes a while to load, so be patient.)  http://edbroadcasters.com/podcasts/congalton/09-24-08.mp3 

Memories From Harlem

Back in June, I watched my students from my second year of teaching graduate 6th grade. Clad in stunning white dresses and suits, they proudly held trophies in the air as their parents clapped for their elementary successes. Not only had my students grown in size since I had last seen them, they had grown in maturity and knowledge. They boasted of getting accepted to wonderful middle schools while still reminiscing from their 5th grade days. It was eventful and emotional, to say the least. Their hard work and ownership over their education paid off.

I had the opportunity of sitting down with the staff of the school to a delicious meal of fried chicken, mac and cheese and collared greens. My old colleagues asked me what I was thinking of doing this coming year, and I responded, "Well... I'm thinking about moving to Kenya."

Their eyes widened and many of them asked, "Really?"

"Really," I said, confident in my response.

They exchanged more confused glances, smiling, but bewildered. One teacher responded, "You better e-mail!" as she handed me a slip of paper with her e-mail address.

Closing one incredible chapter in my life, I finalized the beginnings of a new one... a chapter that takes me across an ocean to Kenya.