ahh! March 5th in Greencastle, IN. I’m actually so excited. We got this!
As for relocation, I feel lucky. I graduated from grad school last summer, and I’ve been living at home while I wait for an opportunity that excites me. I finally found it, I think. But I agree with what was said earlier, all of these emails… I’m going to be so sad if they don’t pick me!
anyone interviewing in san antonio?
I am such a planner and wish that I could have received their regional comparison spreadsheet earlier. Some of my choices changed after viewing the information, but I am still very excited with my regional choices!!! Where did you guys pick?
Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Appalachia were my highly preferred! What about you guys?
@marydee my top choices are Charlotte, NC Piedmont, Nashville, Richmond, and DC.
I didn’t complete my APF yet… I noticed NC does pay full medical/dental… I need to do some research and see which other regions do also…
Also, I noticed Richmond and Pittsburgh both on the preference list but could not find any other info on those regions…
Did anyone else receive the “Alumni Chat” email from Courtney Dwight today? Just wondering…
@aqr126: I believe you can edit your preferences/choices. I don’t think it is set in stone until this Friday, Feb. 27th.
@TeachforNC2015: Hmmmmm… No, I haven’t received an email from Courtney Dwight. I wonder what that means. haha. good for you, bad for me. lol. I hope not.
:((
Best wishes to everyone, as we prepare for the final interview! 
@TFA5thDL2015 - it was just an email offering a chance to speak with alumni to get a broader view of what life is like in the corps and ask any questions you have for the interview. Maybe it has to do with which region you pick? I don’t know…
So I had my lesson plan almost completely finished and the computer I was using crashed completely. It was on its last leg and I really should have backed up my lesson plan to the cloud but hadn’t, thinking I would just back up the final copy. Word to the wise - back up your rough drafts so you don’t end up having to redo everything like me!
**Runs to computer to save rough draft!
lol Thanks TeachForNC2015
@TeachforNC2015: oh boy, that’s unfortunate to hear. I hope you’re able to remember most of what you had typed down. Since I started using google docs for my documents, I have been able to dodge those kinda situations. By the way, that other e-mail you had mentioned was actually in my spam mail. weird. why would TFA be spamming me. lol.
Those emails have all ended up in my spam folder too, except for a few I have gotten recently. But those seemed to be from a real person rather than an automated system. Another one about the alumni chat and one about high need regions. I am getting so nervous, but I keep telling myself to go in confident and not overthink it. That is what I did with the phone interview and it seemed to work for me. Good luck guys!
TFA is so great at wooing us with these e-mails…they make us fall in love… and, next thing you know they drop the bomb on us. “you know what, it’s not you, it’s me” kinda thing. lol. This organization is so friggin’ awesome I want to be part of it so bad!
I seriously should stop daydreaming about teaching in rural Mississippi and concentrate more on my 5 minute lesson.
@TFA5thDL2015 - I totally know what you mean!..
So I did the “alumni chat” thing yesterday and due to a technical snafu, I ended up being the only one on the line when the “moderator” finally logged on which was awkward and yet awesome at the same time… I got to pick his brain about the interview and sample lesson and it made me so much more excited!..
My hubby is busy recovering our hard drive so I can get the extremely detailed assignment preference worksheet I had on there… I had all sorts of cost of living comparisons, continuing education/certification costs, relocation costs, financial comparisons of all sorts to help me figure out what I wanted in my top 10… I had whittled it down to 14 before it crashed… needless to say, I’m still kicking myself for not backing up to the cloud!
So, what are you teaching for your lesson? I have a very simple lesson that has 4 key components, budgeting 1 minute for each component and 1 minute for combo introduction to class/question time/closing. I haven’t rehearsed it with a timer yet - still nailing down some specifics. I really like my lesson and think I can teach it but not so sure it’ll be able to fit in 5 minutes as is…
How about the rest of you?
@TeachForNC2015 History is what I do the best. My very rough plan right now is to teach on the difference between primary and secondary sources. It’s just so hard to think of something that you can teach in like 4 minutes and think of a way to test comprehension.
@TeachForNC2015 and @marydee: I am still deciding between three different options, but I am most likely going to teach chemistry. I am trying to get my Bill Nye out of me and so far it’s not working. lol.
Hey, if you are having problems with finding a lesson. Many states go off the “common core standards” regarding their education standards. If you search through corestandards.com, it may be a help. You can search through grade and topic areas 
I’m surprised no one from the 4th deadline has said anything on here – they are currently having their final interviews this week.
Any 4th deadliner lurking around? Let us know how your interview is going.
I just finished my lesson plan. I’m teaching my lesson on a life skill. It seems simple enough and interactive but I haven’t tried it with a timer yet.