Mid-Induction

These days at Teach For America Induction are very informative, jam packed, and actually, a lot of fun. The group is relatively small, there are only 38 TFA corps members in Milwaukee, which makes us the smallest of the 35 regions spread out across the country.

The city itself and its leaders seep to be welcoming us with open arms. Wednesday we visited the Kern family estate. The Kern foundation made a large donation to TFA so they would come to Milwaukee and are committed toward providing high quality education to all children.

When we ask about what the city thinks of us we get the answer that they either don't know anything about Teach For America or they are positive about it and supportive, like one school principal who visited us for lunch Wednesday and offered one of us an opportunity unique to his school because he specifically wants to have a TFA corps member in his school. At least, that's how I understood it.

Mixed with the getting to know TFA as an organization and meeting a lot of people, Indiction has provided the opportunity to get to know Milwaukee a little bit in our free time and get to know some people. We had the great opportunity to meet TFA alumni on Thursday and enjoy a local Milwaukee restaurant.

My group went to Comet Cafe, a really neat place. The benches look like they're made of church pews and the menu bins of hymnal holders. They make good, unique, American, vegetarian, vegan (or neither) food.

Later that night we discovered the severity of thunderstorms. A police officer came through the dorm and sent us to the basement at 1:20 a.m. because of a tornado warning. A good way to start our last day is on little sleep!

Milwaukee corps 2009 is off to a good start. I am glad, and proud.

Emery