Our corps members
Placement regions
Corps and Alumni
Rio Grande Valley
The rich history of the Rio Grande Valley reflects a unique blend of Texan and Mexican customs, languages, and lifestyles.
| Quick Stats |
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| Site Since: 1991 |
| Corps Size: 196 |
| Average summer temperature: 85 ° Average winter temperature: 61 ° |
| Car: Access to a car is essential |
| Beginning teacher's salary: $36,100-40,500 |
Chad Richardson, professor of sociology at the University of Texas Pan-American, describes the Valley as a region where "rural meets urban, traditional confronts modern, enormous wealth grinds against abject poverty, and First World meets Third. Here, highly diverse groups mix, mesh, and mash into a kaleidoscope of cultural and social combinations."
Life
Corps members in the Rio Grande Valley reside in a three-county area encompassing 4,244 square miles of lakes, rivers, farmland, and beaches. One of the greatest advantages of living in this region is the diversity of housing options in any of the small or larger communities that line the Valley. The appealing features of each town vary, but many corps members choose to live in the towns of Brownsville, Weslaco, McAllen, Rio Grande City, and Roma because of proximity to their schools. There is ample shopping and dining on both sides of the border and the mountains of Mexico's interior are only a two-hour drive away. South Padre Island, one of the leading weekend getaways on the Gulf of Mexico, is just a short trip from anywhere in the Valley.
Corps Culture
The Teach For America • Rio Grande Valley corps is cohesive and focused on student success. In 2009, there are 196 corps members teaching in the Rio Grande Valley. In addition, there are over 100 Teach For America alumni still living in the region, with the vast majority still in the classroom. The entire Rio Grande Valley corps meets on a monthly basis for professional development meetings specifically designed to meet corps members' teaching needs and serve as a clearinghouse for sharing best practices and effective teaching strategies. On a regular basis, corps members, alumni, and local master teachers come together to collaborate on various aspects of excellent instruction. Corps members also have the opportunity to attend workshops at the regional education service center and observe exemplary teachers in Valley schools to further their own practice.
