|
Age: 26 
Hometown: Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Education: Furman University, bachelor of arts in sociology and Spanish; University of Pennsylvania, master of science in education
Profession: program director, Teach for American New Orleans
You might consider Rachel Kuck part of a package deal when Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas was hired to take over New Orleans’ failing public schools in the summer of 2007.
Vallas was lured away from Philadelphia’s school system, where Kuck was teaching sixth grade. Having completed her two-year classroom commitment with Teach for America, Kuck took notice when Vallas departed for the Crescent City.
“There was a lot of buzz about New Orleans,” Kuck said. “(Vallas) had really turned around the schools in Philadelphia, and there was a lot of work to be done in New Orleans.”
Kuck became a program director for the New Orleans TFA branch in July 2007. She provides direct support to 34 corps members who teach in area schools. Her job also involves establishing and maintaining relationships with principals at the Recovery School District charter schools.
During Kuck’s stay in New Orleans, Teach for America’s corps has swelled from 120 members to close to 400. Since this large influx of teaching talent coincides with the rebuilding of an urban school district, she sees the ongoing reform of city’s schools as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“The biggest challenge is working smart, making sure we maximize all of these extra resources available to us,” she said.
“We have so many bright people working in our city,” Kuck said. “We can only go up.”
What makes New Orleans unique: The neighborhoods are so different. It’s a combination of the history, architecture and the people that make it special.
What needs to change about New Orleans: “It seems like there are so many people who would like to see change, but there’s no master plan. There needs to be an organizational effort to make this change happen.”
Favorite pastimes: Running with her dog and riding her bike along the levee |
|
|
Age: 29 
Hometown: Hanover, Ind.
Education: University of Indiana, bachelor of science in sociology; New Teacher Project alternative certification
Profession: founding teacher, Akili Academy of New Orleans
After leaving the Hoosier State eight years ago to come to work in New Orleans, Julie Patterson is close to declaring a new home.
“I love my family. I love Indiana,” she said. “But I’m not there. I’m here.”
Patterson began establishing her Crescent City roots two years into her commitment to Teach for America. She had established relationships with students and families at Allen Fundamental Magnet School, where she taught first grade, and she bought a home after her second year in the city.
In June 2004, she moved to Teach for America’s office on Lee Circle and became the director of operations. When Hurricane Katrina ripped apart TFA’s presence in the city, Patterson assumed the responsibilities of program director to coordinate placement of teachers at various evacuation sites. Working through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, she traveled the state to keep corps members engaged in the TFA program.
“I knew Teach for America would be back in New Orleans,” she said. “What I didn’t know was whether that would be an easy or difficult road.”
It became a busy road. The TFA corps increased from 150 pre-storm members to nearly 400.
After coordinating the teacher flow and placement for another year, Patterson was ready to get back into the classroom. She obtained her alternative teacher certification and was part of the faculty that launched the McDonogh 15 KIPP Elementary in the fall of 2006.
After two years there, she became a founding first-grade teacher at Akiki Academy of New Orleans. Situated behind the storm-ravaged Francis Gregory Elementary campus off Paris Road, Akili Academy is housed a uniform cluster of modular buildings. It has only kindergarten and first-grade classes but will eventually grow to eighth grade and find a permanent home at the old Lawrence Crocker Elementary campus Uptown.
“There’s kind of a spotlight on New Orleans because of the charter movement,” Patterson said. “We can make it work using the resources made available to us after the storm, getting parents involved and understanding how a school connects with the community.”
What needs to change about New Orleans: There should be no reason our streets should be in the state of disrepair that they’re in.
The must-go places for out-of-towners: A po-boy at Parkway and to Bracato’s for gelato.
Favorite hangouts: Juan’s Flying Burrito, Cooter Brown’s and Carrollton Station. |
|
|
|
|
