Flashback Friday...on Sunday

While working as a Teach for America teacher in Baltimore, I kept a journal of my experiences during my first year teaching. We didn't have blogs "back then" so I used to email the journal entries to a lengthy list of folks. As a blast from the past, I will repost some of my journal entries here on this blog on Flashback Fridays. Some of you will remember some of them and I hope you enjoy it as much the second time as you did the first. 


Today's Flashback is to my very first journal entry, ever. It seems so fitting as I go through similar thoughts and anxieties over what is going to be arriving very soon - the start of residency in a few short months.

"July 1, 2004:

            I have been on the East Coast now for about two weeks. We were in Baltimore for our Pre-Institute Induction ceremony. There were lots of neighborhood tours and a general overview of the program. I’m filled with excitement and anticipation at the prospect of what I will be doing. The children of Baltimore need dedicated people…LOTS of us. I hope I will be able to contribute my little part to ensure that systemic inequality is combated and EVERY child has an equal opportunity at changing this world. The question that was posed to us is very profound: If not you, then who?

            Well, we arrived in New York a couple days ago. We are staying at Fordham University here in the Bronx. This city is eclectic! It is alive – always awake and full of energy. This school is pretty nice, too. We are staying in the dorms, teaching during the day and attending various professional development workshops in the evenings. My dorm room is air-conditioned and has its own bathroom! WOW – we definitely didn’t have this at Whittier! However, I have a feeling they aren’t going to send housekeeping to maintain the bathroom, so maybe it was better to have shared bathrooms…

            If not you, then who…"