Flashback: First Days

Imagine with me, if you will. Let’s go on a journey. Travel through time together, to days long, long past…

…way, way back, before the August of 2013; it is the dawn of a time known as “July.” It also happens to actually be dawn. The skies are open, and torrents of rain cascade from the heavens. You are weary, having only returned hours earlier from a journey to the faraway land of “North Carolina.” You are also wary, for today is the day your next quest will begin. Through the rain, it leads you, halting but inexorably, to…the University.

(You get the point. I’m having fun, but I’ll stop having it at your expense.)

So what did that first week in the program look like?

Here’s a brief run-through of our first (3-day) week of the Teacher Education Program (now known as the Urban Teacher Education Program, apparently, but that’s a habit I’m just not in on). I’m sure every year has differences, so don’t take this as precisely what you’ll do; in particular, our week aligned uniquely well with the gap between June and the 4th of July, which I’m told makes a significant difference in scheduling.

(Note: I’m doing this mostly from memory, so I might be leaving off important things. I’ll make revisions if necessary.)

Day the First (July 1):

• We met in a building that was, shockingly, not 3700 Walnut Street (the home of GSE), but rather another UPenn building more suited to large crowds and formal events. Received name tags, t-shirts, information packets, and the first of many free pens (if you know where to look). 
• Mingling began, loosely guided by a “getting to know each other” activity included in our packets. At the conclusion of mingling, winners were announced (of the activity, not the mingling). Those winners received University-branded umbrellas; the rest of us dripped tears onto our already sopping wet business casual attire.
• In a large lecture hall, we watched some videos and heard speeches from a few important people to the program. Chief among these was the Dean of GSE, who shared a few words before disappearing through the door, never to be seen again (at least I think so, though maybe I’ve just forgotten what he looked like).
• At this point, the cohorts were divided – Elementary/Middle Grades to one room, Secondary to another. Up to this moment, we had been brothers. From then on, we were to be…more like half-brothers who live in different towns, perhaps, who still care about each other but don’t really see all that much of each other without deliberate effort or rare circumstantial fortune. 
• Over the rest of the day (punctuated by our first and last free lunch), we were gathered as a cohort. We met a panel of alumni, who were quite friendly and forthcoming in response to our questions, whether they were asked out of terror or sheer morbid curiosity. We also met some of our instructors, and got quite a bit of information on the structure of the program and its components. We had a few activities designed to get to know our cohort better. Finally and excitingly, we learned where we would have our summer and fall placements. 
• Upon the meeting’s conclusion, we went on a thrilling field-trip (as needed) to procure our PennCards and get tested for tuberculosis. Then, we dispersed into the city we all now called home. 
• Not part of the program, but still important – went out for celebratory drinks with friends, and invited along some future classmates. A new era had dawned, and we toasted it, and drank heartily.

Day the Second (July 2):

• “Enough with the University!” proclaimed the Powers That Be, “Let them see the City!” And so it was that the second day began with the Murals.
• If you aren’t familiar with Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program, check it out. It’s a pretty awesome organization that is a huge part of why Philadelphia has the most murals in the country and is called (by the Department of Tourism at least) the “Mural Capital of the World.” Even as someone who’s lived in the city for years, it was cool to get an in-depth presentation on the history and work of Mural Arts, followed by a mural tour of the city. Our tour focused on West Philly, but eventually cut across the river and made its way around City Hall (fun fact I learned – the clock on City Hall is larger than the clock on Big Ben!) to drop us of at…
• Reading Terminal Market: another must-stop for anyone new to the city. A huge indoor market featuring all kinds of vendors and grocers, and a great place to grab lunch, which is precisely what we did there.
• Meandered back to GSE (I walked with some of my Secondary half-siblings, for a nice stroll across Center City and over the river); others took the trolleys back.
• Instead of dividing up by cohort, we were now divided up by region of the city we would have our field placements in (our summer placements were chosen to be in the same vicinity as our fall placements). For my group (West Philadelphia), we had a panel featuring a parent, a principal, and a community member. They each presented a bit about their perspective on schools in the neighborhood, then answered lots of questions. I found it quite interesting (particularly because the principal and the parent both represented the school where I would be student teaching).

Day the Third (July 3):

• It was hot. Very hot, and very sunny. Which was a bit of a shame because this was the day of our…
• Neighborhood tour! Okay, it was a little weird getting a tour of the neighborhood where I’d lived for four years, especially on a day where I felt like my clothes were melting onto my skin. But it was still cool in other ways. The tour was organized by an alum from our program, who gave us tours of Powelton Village and the cluster of neighborhoods from University City to Garden Court and around that area where I’m a bit fuzzy on the boundaries. Highlights included a community garden I’d never seen before, a lot of cool information on architecture from a woman who’s lived many decades in Powelton Village, and managing to not burst into flames at any point.
• Lunch, and a health clinic detour: I don’t have tuberculosis! Huzzah!
• Panel on Penn resources – speakers from CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services), Penn Security, Penn Transit, libraries, career services, etc.
• Finally and kindly, a Happy Hour, arranged by GSE for all TEP students. A nice way to bond, toast, and celebrate the conclusion of a 3-day week and the beginning of a 10-month odyssey. And so the tale began.

Exeunt. End Act I.