Fifteen years ago, in May 2011, dozens of newly inducted Teach for America (TFA) corps members gathered at Trinity University in San Antonio to prepare for a five-week summer training institute, which would be hosted at Rice University in Houston. It was the first time I had ever been selected for anything exclusive—TFA’s acceptance rate was around 15 percent at the time—and I had all the attendant feelings of imposter syndrome. You can briefly see this much thinner, less-hot version of me teaching summer school at Madison High School in Houston in this promotional video that TFA San Antonio still has on their YouTube page.
By my account, everyone here dressed well, maintained straight posture, and had impeccable hair. It appeared more like a casting call than teachers’ professional development. I was one of a few born, raised, and educated San Antonians present in a group that represented every corner of the country, many recently credentialed from the nation’s most prestigious institutions.
In meeting my new colleagues, I felt compelled to be my city’s ambassador, but as a functional shut-in during leisure hours I was an imperfect one at best. I was a few years older than most of the new recruits who were predominantly fresh out of undergrad, and as a boring married person I didn’t do much socializing outside of work. On the other hand, many of my fellow corps members lived together in large, rented houses, forming lifelong bonds with one another. This facet of being a TFA corps member underscores how the organization is more than a job opportunity; it is a network that fosters career advancement beyond the classroom for its members, a network whose intimacy is forged in the crucible of early-career experiences as classroom teachers.
