RPCV Fellows/USA Profile: Orlando Crosby

Guinea 1998-2000

Eleven years ago, Orlando Crosby could not have predicted the career path that would put him in the midst of a multicultural group of middle school students. As an international relations major at California’s Pomona College, he wanted to someday work for the State Department as a diplomat. In preparation for this career, he even learned Chinese. But then he joined the Peace Corps (Guinea 1998-2000). His experience teaching English for two years made an impact on his life that he could not ignore.

Upon returning to his hometown of Washington, D.C., he taught at a private language school that catered to young adults preparing to enter American universities. However, he was uncertain about committing to a career in education. It was while working at a large development consulting organization that he decided to take his career in another direction. “I felt more and more that my calling was as a teacher,” he said.

To teach in the United States, however, Crosby needed to become certified. This reality led him to consider Fellows/USA because he could earn his master’s degree at a reduced cost at the same time.

In January 2002 he became a Peace Corps Fellow at The George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, D.C., and began an internship teaching English as a second language at a high school in Montgomery County, Maryland. The GWU program places Fellows in two successive five-week internships at a high school and a middle school. Fellows take courses in the evening. During the second year of the program, Fellows advance to a permanent placement. After their fellowships, they are required to teach in Montgomery County for at least one year.

“I have a lot less time now [than I did in Guinea],” said Crosby. “I get up at 5 a.m. and spend the day student teaching. Then, I have classes three nights a week. Each class is three hours long and there’s preparation outside of class.” He added, “It’s very rigorous. I have very little free time. But I’m doing what I want to do ... and it’s worth it.”

In spite of his busy schedule, Crosby emphasized the program’s positive attributes. “The good thing about this program is that we are all former Peace Corps or Americorps Volunteers. We have most of our classes together. Some of us are working in the same schools. We share our experiences, our difficulties, our successes.”

Although Montgomery County is home to some of the most affluent communities in the United States, many of the county’s public school students are immigrants who do not speak English at home, or speak English fluently but cannot read or write it. Some are not even literate in their own languages or have had their educations interrupted. At Takoma Park Middle School, where Crosby taught recently, such students are part of a special program called METS (Multidisciplinary Educational Training Services).

“It’s challenging working with METS students because their needs are so great,” said Crosby. “Many of them come to school not knowing how to write and do not have the fine motor skills that other kids do. You have to work on cultivating school-appropriate behavior as well.” According to Crosby, most people do not realize that this population exists in his school system. “People hear that I work in Montgomery County and they think that I work in a rich school, but there are pockets of extensive need throughout the county.”

He described the differences in teaching in Guinea and the United States: “In Guinea, schools were crowded. My classes ranged from 65 students upwards to 90 students. Here, my classes are between 12 and 15 students. There are also differences in terms of resources. In Guinea, I had very few resources, which forced me to be creative in how I put materials together and used the space in my class. Here, I have a wealth of resources.”

Despite the challenges of work and study, Crosby remains passionate about his profession. “I love teaching because it’s more active-you’re up and moving more. It’s more creative. You’re also making a contribution. You’re helping students get to where they need to be.”

Last updated Sep 29 2008