As most graduating seniors prepare for the competitive workforce armed with suits and cell phones, eight OU students are preparing to face urban classrooms with detention slips and stickers as their weapons.

The seniors were recently accepted by Teach for America, a national corps of recent college graduates of all academic majors who commit to teach for two years in low-income, underperforming schools.

Teach for America actively recruits on more than 500 college campuses, and more than 6,500 graduating seniors and alumni from all over the country apply to the program yearly, according to a press release.

"Teach for America is indeed a selective program because we expect corps members to make dramatic, measurable gains in student achievement, and the challenges they face in doing so are immense," said Meagan Hinchliffe of Teach for America.

Members of the corps will be stretched mentally and physically as they attempt to conquer graffiti, fights and gangs in inner-city classrooms.

Teach for AmericaThe national corps of recent college graduates who commit to teach for two years in low-income, underperforming schools will soon include eight more Sooners:o Jessica Cohn, Latin American studies senioro Emily Comstock, English senioro Charles Goodknight, political science senioro Hilary Hawkins, social studies education senioro Kiley Jenkinson, arts and sciences senioro Lindsay Korn, language arts education senioro Tuan Nguyen, physics and mathematics education senioro Eric Tingle, elementary education senior Source: Staff reports

Eric Tingle, elementary education senior, said he is currently student-teaching at Adams Elementary in Norman but is willingly sacrificing the comfort of a high-income school for investing in the lives of underprivileged children. Tingle said he wants to apply what he has learned through college and life to help young, impressionable children make the right choices.

"The overall movement to close the achievement gap motivates me because I am from a low-income community," Tingle said. "I am dedicated to making them successful and care and be there for them."

Hinchliffe said Teach for America is a highly selective program. She said only 26 OU students have been accepted over the past 16 years.

"Unlike some graduate programs and fellowships, we look beyond the numbers (of grade-point average and test scores), and we look for the very skills and strengths that we have found lead to success in the classroom," Hinchliffe said. "We know that to be successful leaders in the classroom, our corps members persevere through numerous challenges."

Hinchliffe said Teach for America's mission is that one day, all children in the nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.

Jessica Cohn, Latin American studies senior, will graduate in May and head to Los Angeles for an intense summer training provided by Teach for America. Cohn will be teaching English in the Las Vegas inner-city schools.

Cohn said she is already beginning to prepare for the upcoming fall by doing outside reading. Teach for America provides the corps members with books, assignments and classroom observations that are to be completed before arrival for the summer institute.

"I don't think that any new teacher will ever feel 100 percent prepared to take on a classroom." Cohn said. "I think that by the time next fall rolls around, I'll be as prepared as I can be."

Cohn said committing to such an organization means removing all comfort zones and placing oneself in a dangerous and foreign environment. Still, she said she is excited about the possibilities.

"Scary things are usually the most rewarding," Cohn said.

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