In some ways, I would agree. I am on the verge of being burnt out with the late nights and intense work environment. And I'm almost ready to not work in the same place that I live and live with the same people I work with. That can be stressful.
But I am NOT ready to say goodbye to my coworkers (though hopefully it wont be a permanent parting). I wish I could work with these guys for the rest of forever. I really love and appreciate each and every one of my fellow OCs, and I am going to miss seeing them all the time. And I feel like I've learned so much from them in the short time I've gotten to know them. Hooray for making friends that help you grow as a person!
And this internship has been such a growing experience professionally as well. I used to think I was an organized person, but that's before I was introduced to Action Plans and Project Plans. Basically, my action plan now is like my old planner on steroids. It's amazing how much more in control of my time I feel now that I have this awesome tool at my disposal. And the method that Teach For America uses to plan for projects will be really helpful when I start planning things for the Student Film Production Club in the fall.
Also thanks to this internship, I now know my strengths and weaknesses as a leader/student/employee. For example, I am good at organizing, thoroughly planning things, being creative and vision-setting, but I am definitely not very good at following through with projects once they start (nor am I good at finding potential loop-holes in the way my projects run so that I can improve them). However, thanks to my very insightful manager and the way TFA takes the professional development of their employees so seriously, I now know my tendencies (both in work and in life) and feel really prepared to use these tools (and work on my shortcomings) in the fall.
So no, I'm really not ready to leave this bubble of friends, self-improvement, and constant inspiration. Not yet. I'm not ready to leave this almost unreal world in which everyone is passionately united around the common goal of closing the achievement gap and ensuring educational equity for all children in the United States. I'm not ready to leave a place where you can see that passion burn in people's eyes and where people care so much that they lose sleep and money and social lives for this cause.
But I must leave in a week, and I accept that. All I can really hope for is that in exactly one year, I will be back here at institute, not as an OC but as a corps member, attending teacher boot camp so that I too can fight for educational equity.
"One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education." - Teach For America
Virginia.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I love you.
Second, I agree. I love that you've found strengths and weaknesses--I know I have too. This has been such a time of personal growth.
Third, I also agree about something else: though I can live without institute (definitely ready for a regular sleep schedule), I am not ready to leave the OCs. I have met some AMAZING, inspiring, wonderful, brilliant, beautiful people--including yourself. Thank you for sharing this!
Dude, can you say scholarship essay? I bow down to the awesome scholarship potential in this post.
ReplyDeleteAnd also, because I know you, I know you meant it. Which is so very cool.
About the sleep schedule though... what would you describe your school sleep schedule as? Because i highly doubt your sleep schedule has ever been normal. Although,you might have a shot at it now that you don't work until 3am every weekend.
Also, I mish you.