The Answer - A blog about Education, Preparation, and Commitment.

Resolve to Make a Difference this Year.  Be a Leader in a YES Prep Classroom

January 02, 2011 by Jeremy Jones

It is amazing how Facebook offers a study of the human condition and the trends of thoughts and feelings of my friends and my networks.  For instance, yesterday (January 1st), the Texas Christian Horned Frogs became the first non-qualifier to win a BCS Bowl game in the Rose Bowl.  Of the 50 posts I saw immediately after the game, at least thirty of them had something to say about this.  Today, January 2nd, most people are checking in at airports across the country, heading back home to Houston from vacation.  Some are dreading it, others are excited.  Another trend I have seen over the past two days are the myriad resolutions that are being made.  I think that most of my friends are mature enough now to know what they'll actually accomplish this year, so I don't see many posts about six pack abs or saving 15% of their income, but I am inspired by the New Year and wanted to offer advice to anyone thinking about making a change this year. 

In the coming years, we will grow to serve 10,000 students at 13 neighborhood campuses in Houston.  In fact, if we opened our doors to all of the students and families on our waiting list right now, we would essentially be at capacity (we currently serve 4,800 students and have about as many on the waiting list).  For the past decade, 100% of our graduating seniors have been accepted to colleges across the country.  The success of our students is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our teachers, a group of individuals from diverse academic and professional backgrounds united by an outrage that only 7% of low-income students will graduate from college. 

This year we will be hiring about 150 teachers across all grade levels (6th-12th) and content areas.  In order to truly transform Houston by serving 10,000 students and TRIPLING the number of low-income students from Houston that finish a four-year college, we will depend on the tenacity of our teachers and school leaders.  I cannot imagine a more inspirational career that impacts the world on a daily basis.  If you are thinking about making a difference in the new year, try being a leader in a YES Prep classroom.  Here is some information about what it is like to be a teacher at YES Prep:

Physical demands:

• Teaching is surprisingly physical.  In fact, some of our teachers enjoy wearing pedometers to see how many steps they take in a single day (it can add up to miles).  The are few other jobs that require people to start talking at 7:30 in the morning and not finish until 4:30 in the afternoon while standing, walking, drawing, exclaiming, writing, acting.  The physical demands of teaching require you to sustain a level of energy of a world class athlete.  If you don't believe me, find a teacher after the first week of school and ask them how their feet feel.   

Mental Demands:

• When I think about the mental demands of teaching, I always think about Taylor Mali's popular YouTube video "What Teachers Make."  I think he sums up teaching perfectly, but it is also a great commentary on the perception of teaching as a profession.  Folks outside of the education rarely give enough credit for the creativity and intelligence that is demanded of great teachers.  Our teachers are some of the most creative I know.  From integrated curriculum (combining math and science in one classroom and ELA and social studies in another) to ensuring that every single student in the room has what he/she needs to be successful, creativity is an essential characteristic of a great teacher. 

Emotional Demands:

•  I admire anyone who has taught because the requirements of the profession encompass so many things.  Teachers not only need to lead groups of students to ambitious outcomes, but they need to serve as a cheerleader, a coach, a counselor, an ambassador and a model of professionalism with rare thanks and little appreciation (although students will appreciate a great teacher more than they will ever say).  Teaching can sometimes be isolating.  I mean, think about it... most of your interactions are with students who are much younger than you, without the life experiences that you have had and your job is not to relate to them perse as much as it is to hold very high expectations and push them beyond what they thought they could accomplish.  While you will naturally build relationships with your students, they won't be your friends by any measure.  There will be times when you go an entire day wondering if your students learned anything, despite how much you planned.  There will be other days when you feel like you can conquer the world.  You will cry.  You will laugh.  You will be humbled and defeated.  But, you will make a difference.

These demands are no less present teaching at the most successful school in Houston (YES Prep) and in fact might be even greater.  However, teachers at YES Prep will all agree that the payoff for the physical, mental and emotional demands is greater when surrounded by amazing colleagues, all committed to one extraordinary outcome: to transform Houston by preparing 10,000 Houston students for college completion. 

If you have resolved to make a difference this new years consider leading a classroom at YES Prep.  To learn more, visit Work at YES Prep on our website, check out a list of our job openings and apply online, or visit a campus during one of our 2011 Campus Insider Events.  If you still have more questions, keep reading our blog or email us at teach@yesprep.org. 

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