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Texas Teachers Preparing For Unprecedented Challenges During Coronavirus Pandemic

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas ISD 9th grade teacher Jada Weathers said the last few months have been incredibly trying.

So as ​her summer break started, she took some time for herself. ​

"I was able to ​fully rest," she said. "I was able to ​get the resources that I need ​so I can make sure that ​I'm a healthy human being. "It's easy to pour ​from an empty cup when you're ​an educator, but that's not ​what's going to help our students.

Jada Weathers
Dallas ISD 9th grade teacher Jada Weathers (CBS 11)

As the fall ​semester ​approaches she ​feels ready to take on new challenges and knows there will be ​plenty of them. ​

"I would say that ​I'm about 80% prepared," she said. "I had to work​ with my department to really ​come up with a game plan as far ​as how can we still help students ​and provide them with the ​content, while also being very ​aware of like what can be ​going on at home." ​

Weathers is one of more than 500 Teach for ​America teachers working in DFW.

Often times her students don't have adequate access to resources and opportunities.

As the TFA teachers get ready ​for next school year, those who are entering their first and second year of teaching are now participating in a special training to prepare them for next year.

"We are working closely with all of our local districts and partners to know what they need," Teach for America Dallas-Fort Worth Executive Director Rea Foster said. "We can leverage our national network to pull those materials together and quickly sometimes more so than our local districts."

"There are ​teachers - specifically TFA - who ​are going to go above and beyond ​to make sure that our students ​for the fall have everything that ​they need and so that is exactly what I'm excited for," Weathers said.

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