Thanks for Connecting at the Teach For America Summit
Last week, the Switch Classroom team headed to Las Vegas to celebrate Teach For America’s 35th anniversary. As a TFA alum myself (Greater Tulsa 2020), I knew the value that Switch Classroom resources would bring to current corps members and school administrators attending the summit.
A couple of years ago, I was a struggling high school science teacher working hard to keep my students engaged. Often, I found that the pacing guides and resources provided by the district didn’t meet the needs of my classroom. I was spending hours outside of my contract time adapting the given curriculum to build in scaffolding, creating slide decks, and scouring the web for any fun (and inexpensive) hands-on activities to try to make the science stick.
When I started teaching a Renewable Energy class in my school’s career tech department, I had no curriculum. A hopeful Google search led me to find an energy source video from Switch Classroom. After that, I was hooked. As I worked through the course topics that I needed to cover, I showed my class the Switch On documentary, Energy Switch episodes, and utilized the quizzes and data sets. The best part? All of it was free. I didn’t have to spend more money out of pocket to create quality learning experiences for my students. Especially teaching at a Title I school, this meant everything.
Following my fifth year of teaching, I decided to work for Switch Classroom. The mission of the organization aligned with my own “Theory of Change” that I was tasked with creating at the end of my TFA corps service. In the classroom, I saw the need to increase equitable access to environmental education opportunities for students. I saw a clear connection between this and Switch Classroom’s mission of providing free, quality educational resources on energy and the environment.
At the Teach For America Summit, I got to share my teaching story and the critical role that Switch Classroom played in my science courses. Now, we offer even more resources than were available when I was teaching. Full lesson plans, hands-on labs and activities, Kahoot quizzes, slide decks, and more. The big value-add for TFA corps members and alum still in the classroom? Everything is 100% free and editable…meaning you can easily build in the scaffolding or extensions needed to meet each student where they are.
Moving forward, I’m excited to see how we can continue providing instructional support for new and veteran teachers. Whether you’re a first-year corps member who just needs a lesson plan that helps keep your head above water, or a school administrator looking for free professional development for your team, we’ve got you covered. Teaching is hard enough as it is. We’d love to help make it easier.
If you were at the TFA Summit, it was so great to meet you! If you weren’t, make sure you get in touch. The Contact Us form at the bottom of our website will go straight to my email. I’d be happy to connect and find out how Switch Classroom can be helpful for your classroom or school.
Written By:
Jillian Swets
Switch Classroom Program Specialist
Teach For America Greater Tulsa 2020
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