Sudbury resident Adele Hinkle to join Teach for America

Hinkle will graduate from Hamilton College in May

Clinton, NY (05/06/2022) — Sudbury resident and Hamilton College senior Adele Hinkle will join Teach for America in Denver in August. A world politics major, she talks here about how the opportunities she had at Hamilton helped guide her toward a career in teaching.

Where will you be teaching and what subject/level?

I'll be teaching preschool at Rocky Mountain Prep Charter School-Creekside in Denver.

Tell us a bit about your job and Teach for America.

I have a two-year commitment to teach in Denver. I interviewed with multiple schools for different positions within early childhood education before choosing Rocky Mountain Prep. This summer I'll be training with Teach for America and at the school. For Colorado corps members, the training not only focuses on teaching, but culturally responsive teaching. Starting in late August, I will work as the lead teacher in a preschool classroom while also taking courses through the alternative teaching certification program at University of Colorado Denver, ASPIRE to Teach.

My roles as a women's rugby captain and a resident advisor gave me the skills to lead and engage a larger group, while my classes taught me how to think critically and apply knowledge outside of the classroom.

Teach for America is an amazing opportunity for college graduates who are interested in education and supporting low-income communities. For people like myself who did not realize their passion for teaching until later in their college careers, this program allows students from different backgrounds to take an alternative path to teaching.

How has your time at Hamilton prepared you for this?

Throughout my gap year and my time at Hamilton, I've had many opportunities to teach and work with children in and out of formal classroom settings. I got certified to teach English as a foreign language and taught grade school students in Nepal, worked at a summer camp, and taught at a preschool and at a summer school in New York City. This semester I have actually had the opportunity to observe and assist a first-grade classroom teacher in a neighboring town for the education practicum course. It's been amazing to observe the interactions and strategies that I have talked about in my anthropology of education classes.

Not only has Hamilton given me these experiential opportunities, but my classes and professors have taught me how to be confident in myself and my work. I have grown into a leader during my time at Hamilton, both in classes and extracurriculars. My roles as a women's rugby captain and a resident advisor gave me the skills to lead and engage a larger group, while my classes taught me how to think critically and apply knowledge outside of the classroom.

Adele Hinkle is a graduate of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School

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