Cover Letter Essay

Ellen Trebilcock
1727 Mary Street 918.282.1294
Dallas, TX 75206 etrebilcock@kippdfw.org

Looking back I realize my parents should have seen it coming. Maybe I should have even known. Being so young, however, I forgive myself for not recognizing the unconcealed signs that would determine my life’s work at such an early age. Yes, I have been a teacher for roughly twenty years now. When I was five I sat with my dad’s wooden duck collection nestled in a neat semi-circle around me, reading and teaching them all the French I was learning at Eisenhower International School. When I was ten I ran across the front yard teaching my little brother how to dribble a soccer ball. When I was nineteen I lead study groups for Zoology on the top floor of our college dorm hall – using notes that are still circulating through OU’s campus today. When I was twenty-two I finally found myself embarking on the most significant, life-changing teaching endeavor I have experienced to date: joining Teach for America. My experience teaching in Kansas City led me to apply for the CMA role at the inaugural Tulsa Institute this past summer. Working as a CMA was both extensively rewarding and challenging. It was my first authentic experience coaching and leading adults. Ironically, one of the most valuable lessons I learned about adults this summer came directly from my interaction with seventh-graders: differentiation does not stop at the classroom door with a teacher’s students. Differentiation is a best practice when engaging with anyone throughout life – whether in a professional or social environment. As I reflected on the relationships I was building with my corps members towards the beginning of institute, I realized that there were 2-3 I had not built organic relationships with. They still felt stiff and forced. This immediately presented itself as a challenge. I knew that the relationships I would build with my corps members would directly impact the satisfaction they saw with themselves as leaders in the classroom, their performance teaching, and the importance they would give to building relationships with their own students. Once I took the time to alter my approach to fit the corps member as a unique person, I was able to break down barriers of both race and class that seemed to so clearly separate us. As I transitioned to a new school in Dallas this fall and took on a leadership role concurrent to teaching, I am repeatedly reminded of this lesson. That it is not consistency among the input that always produces the most attractive results, but that consistency on the output means mountains are moving and people are persevering. It is

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