Teachers propel American dream

When the mail arrived at the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority house in December, two seniors eagerly dug through the pile to find the letters that would determine their futures.

Ashley Castevens said she and Jessica Cline received their Teach for America acceptance letters in small, thin envelopes, which they interpreted as a bad sign.

“I thought we had both been rejected,” said Castevens, a public policy major. “I was devastated.”

As they simultaneously read the congratulatory first sentences, their moods were lifted. “I was so relieved,” said Cline, a Spanish and international studies double major. “This is what I really wanted to do.”

TFA is a program that assigns qualified graduates from various backgrounds to teach for two years in low-income school systems across the country.

“We’re looking for students who have demonstrated a track record of achievement and have a sense of personal responsibility,” said Melissa Casey, the regional recruitment director for TFA.

Last year, the organization sent 30 of 116 UNC applicants to teach in several different cities. So far this year, 19 applicants have been accepted, and another group will be evaluated after the final Feb. 18 deadline, Casey said.

Castevens said she became interested in TFA because of her concern with the education system. “I have personally seen the need for programs like TFA,” she said.

She had heard positive evaluations of TFA from her friends who are involved and decided to apply.

The first step of the application process involved sending in essays and references. Castevens and Cline were then chosen to come in for interviews.

The interview session required the applicants to teach a five-minute lesson to the other applicants and the interviewers.

“That was the most nerve-racking part,” Cline said. “I was really nervous about it because I know it’s really competitive, but I felt really good about it after it was over.”

Castevens received her first-choice location and will be teaching elementary school in the Mississippi Delta region.

“I wanted to teach in a school where I’d have a really good chance of making an impact on the students,” she said. “I am really happy that I’m going there. The only catch is that I’ve never seen Mississippi.”

She said she is excited but considers the move a big step because she has never lived outside North Carolina.

The territory where Cline will be teaching will be more familiar for her because her boyfriend currently lives in her assigned city, and she has visited there several times. She will be teaching Spanish in Baltimore.

Cline was pleased to receive her assignment over Winter Break. “I was so excited,” she said. “It was exactly what I wanted. I could not be more happy.”

The accepted students will leave for their assignments less than a month after graduation. Cline said she is eager to get started because of her belief in the program.

“I think it’s really important to have advocates for education in all different fields,” she said. “It makes the whole community, not just teachers, concerned with the gap in the schools.”

After their two years of required teaching are over, the teachers will decide what their next career moves will be.

For Castevens, the two-year time period might not be the end of her career in education. “There’s a very good chance I may stay (in Mississippi) longer than that.”

Cline had previously considered studying law and will decide when the time comes.

“I think this will give me a good perspective on whether or not law school is what I want to do,” she said.

If she does go on to become a lawyer, Cline said she thinks her experience with TFA will be an asset.

“It’s just such a great opportunity to make a difference, and at the same time it’s a great career opportunity,” she said. “That’s why it was so attractive to me.”

Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.