T-minus 3-6 days

Okay, so normally a "t-minus" account does not include a date range, but it does for me. In just three more days (Friday!) I will be leaving bright and early to fly to Houston, Texas for the next two months. In six days (Monday), I will start my first day working with and for Breakthrough Houston.

Most of you reading this blog probably know about the Breakthrough Collaborative and my almost year-long relationship with this non-profit. But, in case I haven't talked to you about it for a while, here is a short recap. The Breakthrough Collaborative is a national nonprofit organization with 33 locations nationwide that aims to "increase educational opportunity for motivated middle school students and inspire talented high school and college students to pursue careers in education." The middle school students are smart kids who have a lot working against them. Most of are from low-income families and are "minority" (if that word is even appropriate anymore) students. At Breakthrough Houston (BTH), they are all rising 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students. The high school and college students are smart kids who want to do something amazing over the summer. Any high school student or college student (over age 16 :) ) can apply; no teaching experience or coursework is required. Because all of the participants are students, the program is able to use the "students-teaching-students" model. Research shows that it is unbelievably effective. But, words are only words. To learn more, check out the newly designed Breakthrough website, read reflections from students and teachers, and watch some videos. Here is one to hold you over until you can go there :)

The Power of Students Teaching Students from Breakthrough Collaborative on Vimeo.

So what exactly will I be doing for the next 8 weeks? I will be teaching, leading, and learning. Primarily, I will be teaching science, specifically alternative energy, to 9th graders at BTH. I know, I know, you are probably all thinking, "but wait...she is going to be an English teacher!" Yes, you're right. Teaching science is probably going to be a challenge, but accepting challenges and making them part of your everyday life is part of the mission of Breakthrough. If I can't do it, how can I expect my students to? Besides science, I will also be teaching an elective and an activity (a leadership course and dance), attending faculty meetings, grading papers and projects, assisting kids with homework, forming relationships with my team members, and so much more that I can't even begin to imagine.

So yes, I may be crazy. I am going to one of the hottest cities in the country for the summer in a state I have never been to, staying with a family I have never met, and teaching a subject that I thought I left behind in high school. But I doing this because education is my passion. ALL students, not just those who live in the right neighborhoods and have the resources, deserve quality teachers, not just those teachers who enter the profession because they have nothing else to do. I have the passion, the drive, the energy, and the intelligence to make a difference in the lives of these students. For the next two months, Breakthrough truly is going to be both a verb and a noun. I will live it, and I will be it.

Check back often if you want to follow along on my adventure.