Closing Ceremonies: Philly '05 (clap clap)

This evening 1,000 Teach for America corps members and staff gathered in the basketball arena on the Temple University campus to celebrate the hard work and success of the Philadelphia Institute. The building was filled with energy and excitement as we prepared to reflect on the struggles and triumphs of the last five weeks. We sat with others from the school at where we had spent the summer, eleven different sites in total. The Munoz-Marin section was alive with spirit throughout the night. All eleven groups continually blasted out their schools. Ours, of course, was the best by far.
Ain't No Holdin' Back School
(to the tune of Hollaback Girl)
Teach For America, Munoz-Marin
Teach For America, Munoz-Marin
We ain't no holdin' back school
We ain't no holdin' back school
We're gonna make significant gains
So come along and ride this train
We ain't no holdin' back school
We ain't no holdin' back school
Oooo, that's my school, that's my school
Oooo, that's my school, that's my school
Teachers as leaders
L-E-A-D-E-R-S
Munoz Marin
L-E-A-D-E-R-S
Munoz Marin take a stand
Si, se puede
Yes we can! Huh!
I held up the "D" sign throughout the night and held it up each time we spelled LEADERS. Quite the production, I know.
We heard an inspiring speech from the Institute director and some reflections by corps members. Then a young woman gave "Corps Member Address," a speech you must audition to give. It was pretty bad. Actually, it was the only negative part of the whole evening. I know she tried, but still, it was pretty bad.
The last twenty minutes of the evening were devoted to the Philly Institute '05 video. This video was fantastic and I wish I could show it to everyone I know. It had shots from every aspect of this experience: picking up our boxed lunches in the morning, workshops, learning teams, school meetings, and teaching. There were several shots of my classroom and close-ups on three of my beautiful kids. Gilberto was one of the last students shown in the video and, let me tell you, he is one of the cutest kids in the whole world.
Right before the ceremonies, I had decided that I wanted to get something meaningful for my co-teachers. I am so appreciative of the three of them at this point and I wanted to do a little something to communicate that. I ran to the Temple bookstore before it closed and went right to the poetry section. I picked out a fantastic book for each of them that they can enjoy and share with their students in the fall. Shel Selverstien for Ms. Schroder, Pablo Neruda (bilingual edition) for Mr. McKean, and Alice Walker for Ms. Clark (she's teaching high school in Harlem next year). I wrote thank you notes after the ceremony last night and it made me realize how much I have learned from the these wonderful people. Sure, it was difficult in the beginning, but I think we worked the kinks out pretty well and formed an incredible team. I know I benefited greatly from this collaboration and I think our students did as well.