When I left yesterday morning, I thought it would be entertaining to write a blog post entitled "Anatomy of a Failure: How to Flop on Your TFA Day." After I finished yesterday afternoon I had no desire at all to take a risk and joke. I don't believe in jinxes, really, but I could not muster the energy to try and be funny and have a rejection possibly happen. Although I was never presented with a form, I'm bound by a confidentiality agreement that I won't divulge the questions and interview content I encountered during the interview day. As one could guess, broadcasting them on my puny blog and facebook won't happen. I can say that it was a taxing day and I left with mixed feelings. My interviewer likened it to finishing the GRE, which wasn't a bad comparison.
The day started promptly at 9 and we broke at 1:00. I volunteered to go first and I thought my teaching lesson went well and I accomplished everything I set out to achieve. The twelve other applicants--three total males--were as prepared or less than myself. Some never finished their lessons and hurriedly concluded after being informed of the time. One young woman taught an entertaining African-American dance, one attempted a world history lesson over an esoteric incident and minor war that was in actuality closer to European history, yet no one taught any mathematics. I returned at 3:30 for my 3:45 interview, which ran around 45-50 minutes. Through reading the TFA website, blogs, message boards, and chatting with TFA corps members, I prepared for several topics including my graduate and teaching assistant experience. None of the questions were too surprising and my interviewer seemed to follow, quite faithfully, a form. For instance, when I mentioned that I'm traveling to Morocco in two weeks to study intensive Arabic, she had no spark or intrigue other than a perfunctory "oh, interesting" before advancing to another topic.
It's easy to say "I did my best." Looking back on my twenty-eight years, there are a few times where I can say I legitimately put forth my best effort and tried my hardest. Yesterday was one of those occasions, and I feel OK. Just OK about the whole day. Maybe I'm too hard on myself and it went better than I'm allowing right now. Either way, I will know the decision when I wake on November 11 in Morocco.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment