Nashville

As members of a site in only its second year, Nashville corps members will have the opportunity to greatly influence and lead the region’s movement toward educational equality. Nashville corps members will help shape and set the vision for Teach For America’s role within a new community and school system. Additionally, Nashville corps members will join a deeply committed community of reformers looking to Teach For America to play a vital role in education reform in the city.

Quick Stats
Site Opening : 2009
Corps Size: 52
Average summer temperature: 78° Average winter temperature: 39°
Car: Access to car is essential
Beginning teacher's salary: $34,059

Nashville is home to 24 post-secondary institutions, making education a priority for residents and city leaders. Despite the regional focus on education, the Metropolitan Nashville Public School District struggles with an achievement gap across socio-economic lines. Now, civic leaders are calling on Teach For America to join the local effort to eliminate educational inequity in the region. In fact, Mayor Karl Dean notes that the city will “focus, number one, on schools” during his time as mayor of Nashville. True to this statement, he has remained committed to improving the public school system and working with local leaders to make necessary changes, such as bringing a Teach For America corps.

Life

Nashville is an electric city with a large community of young professionals. Home of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the annual CMA Music Festival, and the headquarters of several music associations, it isn’t surprising that Nashville is known as “Music City.” Live music is plentiful and easy to find in all genres on every night of the week. Nashville is also an exciting place to enjoy professional and college sports.

Nashville is a very affordable city, and corps members should have no trouble affording an exciting and comfortable lifestyle with their teaching salary. Metropolitan Nashville is divided into over a dozen communities, each with its own unique character and style. Because the Metropolitan Nashville Public School District covers the large metropolitan area, corps members will most likely want to live near their school site and will likely need a car in order to get to and from school and enjoy the broad range of activities in the city.

Convenience and hospitality are some of the many highlights of Nashville. In one minute, you can be in downtown eating or shopping and ten minutes later be at a farm outside of Nashville riding horses. Parts of East Nashville are quickly becoming more popular: houses are being redone and new restaurants and bars are opening. All of these areas are a 10 – 15 minute drive from the schools Nashville corps members teach in and are great places to unwind after a day in the classroom.

Corps Culture

Corps members are welcomed by a committed community of educational and civic leaders in Nashville who are dedicated to education and social reform in the city. Once in Nashville, corps members can expect to participate in all-corps gatherings, exchange best teaching practices with other corps members of the same grade level or content area, and attend cultural and social gatherings with colleagues and friends. Being a smaller corps has many advantages. As stated by Mansi Kachalia (Nashville Corps ’09), “ We plan get-togethers as often as possible and have started to form great friendships. The stresses of a new job and a new city have been lessened because of the bonds we are forming.”