Recent Update: I was recently accepted to the Teach for America 2015 Corp Member class! I am so excited!
“Oh, you…you applied to Teach for America? That’s nice, I guess.”
“Hmmmm, I always figured you would do something different, I suppose.”
“Well, I won’t tell you my opinions on that corrupt organization, but if that is what you want to do…”
“Ah, I get it! You’re going in to change the organization from within, right?! …Right?”
If you are a College of Education student that has even briefly thought about joining Teach for America, an AmeriCorps organization that sends high-achieving college graduates into low-income schools to serve their students and communities in an attempt to eliminate educational inequity, you have heard several variations on those phrases, accompanied by some sort of scowl or look of mild to moderate disgust (Teach For America). I have experienced this response first hand with greater frequency as I have continued to be selected to continue onto the next round of interviews for TFA. Now, I understand that Teach for America has its flaws; no program that is attempting to bridge a gap as deep and as wide as the achievement gap in America’s schools has figured out the perfect recipe. However, (adding something that I just can’t put into words right now UGH SCHOOL), so Teach for America is a great option for passionate, determined student leaders, especially education majors. I’m going to be addressing some myths and concerns surrounding TFA, the preparation that they provide their corps members, and how why this is a great option for someone like myself- someone who had already planned on going into education.
Concern #1: Students in these schools deserve more than some lofty college student who has had less than five weeks of training before stepping into some of the toughest classes in the United States.
This claim, in reference to Teach For America’s trademark training program for their corp members, is accurate, fair, and all-around the greatest debate that I have had with myself about this organization. While this statement does not only apply to our low-income students, as it should apply to all students, the need for highly-qualified, trained teachers in our low-income communities has become more apparent. Teach For America enrolls their corps members in the “Institute”, which is a five-week crash course on everything they will need to know about education. Corps members get the opportunity to teach students, as well as learning methods of learning, teaching, and curriculum development. To an education major, only having to do 20 hours of in-class practice sounds ludicrous. How in the world can you learn all of the important aspects of teaching in just four weeks? Several former educators and developers of future teachers decided to dive right in and find out just how terrible this program is, only to find out that…well, it isn’t. Alexander Sidorkin, former educator who has served as dean at two Colleges of Education, and Lisa Moberg, an 18-year veteran in education who has taught throughout all elementary grades, both attended separate institutes (on their own accord) and took the time to blog about their experience afterward. Sidorkin (2012), who’s institution was beginning to partner with Teach for America, attended the Summer Institute in New York City. Early in his blog, he admits that the world of education and Teach for America often butt heads, mostly do to this idea of a condensed training. However, Sidorkin had this to say about his experience with Institute:
“Yes, TFA members teach only about 20 lessons over the course of the 5 weeks to small classes of 6-15 children. But every single lesson plan is critiqued ahead of time, and every lesson is observed by at least one experienced teacher; often by two or three. Every lesson observed by a TFA mentor is analyzed and critiqued in an hour-long one-on-one session. …The whole thing has a feel of a boot camp, and it is not just a superficial comparison. The military discovered the value of short and intensive experiences a very long time ago. We observed a few lessons taught by the corps members. Were they perfect? Not at all, but they were darn good for someone in the second week of one’s teaching career; definitely better than my first few weeks of teaching.”
Moberg (2013) expressed having a similarly positive experience, stating, “The level of purposeful questioning and thought-provoking conversations is insightful and inspiring to me as an educator and a lifelong learner. These higher-level critical-thinking conversations are springboards to how to engage the TFA corps members to internalize and apply the foundations of good teaching practices.” Both of these folks praise the Institute and conclude that educators should not be skeptical.
As for education students joining the corps, they are not some inexperienced college student who decided to join Teach for America on a whim. They are trained educators that are ready to head to the front lines of education. They have spent four, five, six, or even more learning about education and how they will best be able to utilize their skills in order to effectively teach. For these corps members, Institute is a chance to refine those skills and focus on their leadership development. While one may still hold that a five-week program is not sustainable for the greater good of education, an education student is not affected by this setback because they already have prior training under their belt. So let’s check training off the checklist, shall we?
Concern #2: The teacher turnover rate is downright unacceptable for these students.
Turnover rate in our schools is a huge problem, whether you look at TFA or our high-need schools in general (Zhao, “Top 5 Reasons Why Teacher Turnover Is Rising”). Kasey Guin, a research coordinator within the school of public affairs at the University of Washington and co-author of several book chapters focused on the achievement gap, concludes in her research journal (2004) that the deterioration or organization, planning, and student/teacher trust that high teacher turnover promotes negatively affects student learning and perpetuates teacher turnover even further. It is difficult to retain teachers, either good or bad, when they are in schools where many of the problems may be outside of the classroom, as many classroom teachers in low-income schools face. How long could you last if you spent extra hours worrying not only about your lesson, but how you are going to feed little Johnny because he doesn’t usually get breakfast, or how to engage Patricia because she works nights so her brother doesn’t starve? Being a teacher is especially taxing in low-income communities. That is why the turnover rate overall, not including the inherent turnover in two-year corps terms for Teach for America, is a large problem. Teach for America uses the two-year term to draw interest from students who may not have thought about dedicating their life to education before considering Teach for America. With a two-year commitment, you could decide that you love education and stay with that school following the experience, or you could say that you tried it and you were not cut out for it. Teach for America admits that they do not have all of the answers, and they agree that turnover rates in those schools should be a higher priority (“Our Mission”). Education majors, however, already know that they want to stay within the realm of education. They know that they are passionate about these students in their low-income schools. They join the corps fostering a much more holistic understanding of the world of education than many folks joining the corps. These corps members are more likely to stay in education because that is what they were planning on doing prior to Teach For America. This is just a separate avenue in which they were able to find a job. Which brings me to the next point…
Concern #3: If you’re an education major, you could just go get a job in a low-income community. There really is no need for you to go through all of this nonsense.
For education majors, there are options in education outside of Teach For America in low-income communities. In the 2011-2012 school year, according to the U.S. Department of Education (2011), more than 56,000 schools around the nation utilized Title I funding. I know that there are “successful charter schools that do the same thing that would love my talent” (this I have heard from several educators, both at MU and back in Minnesota). I know these options all exist, and I appreciate the concern from those around me—I really do! However, joining Teach for America (or attempting to, at least) was not a decision made because that was the only access I could have to low-income communities that I am passionate about serving. It was about the leadership development that they provide for their corps members. It was about being a part of an organization that holds a deep commitment for serving those kids and those schools that may need a bit of extra help. It was because I believe that my skill set could best be used in this organization. For many education students, to be quite frank, this is about simplicity of an application process (why would you decide against an all-inclusive interview process that places you where you are most needed rather than sending in hundreds of applications?). No matter what the thought-process was, education majors know that other options exist; Teach For America just happens to be one of them.
I am passionate about education. I have known my whole life that I have wanted to be a teacher, and no matter what route I take, I know I am going to do it. Teach for America is not a great option for everyone based on some of the arguments that were presented previously. However, I believe that Teach for America is a great option for education majors, and this is why I am pursuing my dreams with the support of TFA.
Thank you.
References
Guin, K. (2004). Chronic Teacher Turnover in Urban Elementary Schools. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 12(42), 1-30.
Moberg, L. (2013, June 12). My Summer with Teach for America. National Education Policy Center. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from http://nepc.colorado.edu/blog/my-summer-teach-america
Our Mission. (n.d.). Teach For America. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.teachforamerica.org/our-mission
Sidorkin, A. (2012, July 26). Learning with TFA. The Russian Bear's diaries. Retrieved February 25, 2014, from http://sidorkin.blogspot.com/2012/07/learning-with-tfa.html
Title I, Part A Program. (2011, August 11). U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved March 21, 2014, from http://www2.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/index.html
“Oh, you…you applied to Teach for America? That’s nice, I guess.”
“Hmmmm, I always figured you would do something different, I suppose.”
“Well, I won’t tell you my opinions on that corrupt organization, but if that is what you want to do…”
“Ah, I get it! You’re going in to change the organization from within, right?! …Right?”
If you are a College of Education student that has even briefly thought about joining Teach for America, an AmeriCorps organization that sends high-achieving college graduates into low-income schools to serve their students and communities in an attempt to eliminate educational inequity, you have heard several variations on those phrases, accompanied by some sort of scowl or look of mild to moderate disgust (Teach For America). I have experienced this response first hand with greater frequency as I have continued to be selected to continue onto the next round of interviews for TFA. Now, I understand that Teach for America has its flaws; no program that is attempting to bridge a gap as deep and as wide as the achievement gap in America’s schools has figured out the perfect recipe. However, (adding something that I just can’t put into words right now UGH SCHOOL), so Teach for America is a great option for passionate, determined student leaders, especially education majors. I’m going to be addressing some myths and concerns surrounding TFA, the preparation that they provide their corps members, and how why this is a great option for someone like myself- someone who had already planned on going into education.
Concern #1: Students in these schools deserve more than some lofty college student who has had less than five weeks of training before stepping into some of the toughest classes in the United States.
This claim, in reference to Teach For America’s trademark training program for their corp members, is accurate, fair, and all-around the greatest debate that I have had with myself about this organization. While this statement does not only apply to our low-income students, as it should apply to all students, the need for highly-qualified, trained teachers in our low-income communities has become more apparent. Teach For America enrolls their corps members in the “Institute”, which is a five-week crash course on everything they will need to know about education. Corps members get the opportunity to teach students, as well as learning methods of learning, teaching, and curriculum development. To an education major, only having to do 20 hours of in-class practice sounds ludicrous. How in the world can you learn all of the important aspects of teaching in just four weeks? Several former educators and developers of future teachers decided to dive right in and find out just how terrible this program is, only to find out that…well, it isn’t. Alexander Sidorkin, former educator who has served as dean at two Colleges of Education, and Lisa Moberg, an 18-year veteran in education who has taught throughout all elementary grades, both attended separate institutes (on their own accord) and took the time to blog about their experience afterward. Sidorkin (2012), who’s institution was beginning to partner with Teach for America, attended the Summer Institute in New York City. Early in his blog, he admits that the world of education and Teach for America often butt heads, mostly do to this idea of a condensed training. However, Sidorkin had this to say about his experience with Institute:
“Yes, TFA members teach only about 20 lessons over the course of the 5 weeks to small classes of 6-15 children. But every single lesson plan is critiqued ahead of time, and every lesson is observed by at least one experienced teacher; often by two or three. Every lesson observed by a TFA mentor is analyzed and critiqued in an hour-long one-on-one session. …The whole thing has a feel of a boot camp, and it is not just a superficial comparison. The military discovered the value of short and intensive experiences a very long time ago. We observed a few lessons taught by the corps members. Were they perfect? Not at all, but they were darn good for someone in the second week of one’s teaching career; definitely better than my first few weeks of teaching.”
Moberg (2013) expressed having a similarly positive experience, stating, “The level of purposeful questioning and thought-provoking conversations is insightful and inspiring to me as an educator and a lifelong learner. These higher-level critical-thinking conversations are springboards to how to engage the TFA corps members to internalize and apply the foundations of good teaching practices.” Both of these folks praise the Institute and conclude that educators should not be skeptical.
As for education students joining the corps, they are not some inexperienced college student who decided to join Teach for America on a whim. They are trained educators that are ready to head to the front lines of education. They have spent four, five, six, or even more learning about education and how they will best be able to utilize their skills in order to effectively teach. For these corps members, Institute is a chance to refine those skills and focus on their leadership development. While one may still hold that a five-week program is not sustainable for the greater good of education, an education student is not affected by this setback because they already have prior training under their belt. So let’s check training off the checklist, shall we?
Concern #2: The teacher turnover rate is downright unacceptable for these students.
Turnover rate in our schools is a huge problem, whether you look at TFA or our high-need schools in general (Zhao, “Top 5 Reasons Why Teacher Turnover Is Rising”). Kasey Guin, a research coordinator within the school of public affairs at the University of Washington and co-author of several book chapters focused on the achievement gap, concludes in her research journal (2004) that the deterioration or organization, planning, and student/teacher trust that high teacher turnover promotes negatively affects student learning and perpetuates teacher turnover even further. It is difficult to retain teachers, either good or bad, when they are in schools where many of the problems may be outside of the classroom, as many classroom teachers in low-income schools face. How long could you last if you spent extra hours worrying not only about your lesson, but how you are going to feed little Johnny because he doesn’t usually get breakfast, or how to engage Patricia because she works nights so her brother doesn’t starve? Being a teacher is especially taxing in low-income communities. That is why the turnover rate overall, not including the inherent turnover in two-year corps terms for Teach for America, is a large problem. Teach for America uses the two-year term to draw interest from students who may not have thought about dedicating their life to education before considering Teach for America. With a two-year commitment, you could decide that you love education and stay with that school following the experience, or you could say that you tried it and you were not cut out for it. Teach for America admits that they do not have all of the answers, and they agree that turnover rates in those schools should be a higher priority (“Our Mission”). Education majors, however, already know that they want to stay within the realm of education. They know that they are passionate about these students in their low-income schools. They join the corps fostering a much more holistic understanding of the world of education than many folks joining the corps. These corps members are more likely to stay in education because that is what they were planning on doing prior to Teach For America. This is just a separate avenue in which they were able to find a job. Which brings me to the next point…
Concern #3: If you’re an education major, you could just go get a job in a low-income community. There really is no need for you to go through all of this nonsense.
For education majors, there are options in education outside of Teach For America in low-income communities. In the 2011-2012 school year, according to the U.S. Department of Education (2011), more than 56,000 schools around the nation utilized Title I funding. I know that there are “successful charter schools that do the same thing that would love my talent” (this I have heard from several educators, both at MU and back in Minnesota). I know these options all exist, and I appreciate the concern from those around me—I really do! However, joining Teach for America (or attempting to, at least) was not a decision made because that was the only access I could have to low-income communities that I am passionate about serving. It was about the leadership development that they provide for their corps members. It was about being a part of an organization that holds a deep commitment for serving those kids and those schools that may need a bit of extra help. It was because I believe that my skill set could best be used in this organization. For many education students, to be quite frank, this is about simplicity of an application process (why would you decide against an all-inclusive interview process that places you where you are most needed rather than sending in hundreds of applications?). No matter what the thought-process was, education majors know that other options exist; Teach For America just happens to be one of them.
I am passionate about education. I have known my whole life that I have wanted to be a teacher, and no matter what route I take, I know I am going to do it. Teach for America is not a great option for everyone based on some of the arguments that were presented previously. However, I believe that Teach for America is a great option for education majors, and this is why I am pursuing my dreams with the support of TFA.
Thank you.
References
Guin, K. (2004). Chronic Teacher Turnover in Urban Elementary Schools. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 12(42), 1-30.
Moberg, L. (2013, June 12). My Summer with Teach for America. National Education Policy Center. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from http://nepc.colorado.edu/blog/my-summer-teach-america
Our Mission. (n.d.). Teach For America. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.teachforamerica.org/our-mission
Sidorkin, A. (2012, July 26). Learning with TFA. The Russian Bear's diaries. Retrieved February 25, 2014, from http://sidorkin.blogspot.com/2012/07/learning-with-tfa.html
Title I, Part A Program. (2011, August 11). U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved March 21, 2014, from http://www2.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/index.html