Teach For America experience rewarding for Canton's Powers

BY ED WRIGHT
Aug. 4, 2010, 3:15 p.m.

  Every weekday morning from September through June, an alarm clock rattled Jake Powers awake at an insanely early hour in his north-side Chicago residence.

  Once showered, dressed and fed, the former Canton High school student hopped in a car with a co-worker for a 40-mile drive to West Gary Lighthouse Charter School in Gary, Ind., where he experienced some of the most rewarding and challenging days of his young life.

  A 2009 graduate of Brown University, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in Commerce, Organizations and Entreprenuership while excelling on the football field for the Bears, Powers served as a corps member for Teach For America, a non-profit organization that places recently graduated college students in teaching jobs in urban and rural areas of the country.

  What would inspire someone with a degree from a prestigious Ivy League university to delay a successful professional career for a potentially stressful teaching position in a low income school district? 

  "I never would have been able to do what I've done in high school and college without outstanding teachers, so I decided to apply for Teach For America as a way to give back and maybe impact some kids like my teachers impacted me," said Powers, who taught sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade math and social studies.

  "Since I didn't have an education background, the first few months were very challenging. Before you begin your teaching job, Teach For America gives you a five-week training course, which was outstanding, but it can't prepare you for everything you'll be facing."

  Powers said he learned new techniques practically every day that made him a more effective instructor.

  "The most important thing is you have to establish a rapport with the kids and earn their trust," the former Canton two-sport standout said. "You develop different techniques that help make you a better teacher.

  "You have to be a disciplinarian more than you might like, especially in the beginning, but the more positive you can be, the more effective you'll be."

  The odds of getting into the Teach For America program are daunting. Of the approximately 40,000 students who applied the same year as Powers, only 4,000 were accepted.

  "We seek individuals from all backgrounds, majors and professional experiences who have what it takes to excel as teachers and improve the quality of education for children growing up in low-income communities," the Teach For America website states on its "Who We're Looking For" page.

  "Ultimately, we look for individuals who have achieved results and demonstrated a range of leadership qualities, because we know those individuals will lead our students to success in the classroom and beyond."

  Along with teaching social studies and math, Powers served as an assistant coach for the school's track-and-field team.

  "Teaching in a program like this is something I never expected to do when I was younger," he said. "But I'm glad I did. It was a very rewarding experience."

  Powers said he developed strong bonds with several of his students.

  "After putting in the amount of time and energy that a teacher does, you want what is best for all of your students," he said. "But there are certain students that you find who stand out in your classes."

  Due to a number of circumstances, Powers decided to leave his two-year Teach for America commitment after one year to accept a position as a market analyst for Stout Risius Ross, Inc., an investment-banking company based in Chicago.

  "Teach For America is a great program," said Powers. "Everything I heard about it before I actually participated in it is true. There were just a number of things happening that made me have to leave after one year."

  Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.