Refuting the Criticism (a little bit)

One of the tasks I faced before joining Teach For America, then when I was a TFA corps member, and now, as a Teach For America alum, is refuting the constant criticism and skepticism from many people about the effectiveness of "non-traditionally trained" educators that make up a large percentage of the TFA corps. Sadly, most of this comes from those within the educational system itself. While I wish this wasn't the case, as pointed out in the following article, "few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example" (Mark Twain). My hope is that in the coming years, those feeling the need to protect the "traditional" way of doing things in education will realize that while Teach For America definitely DOES have a different way of approaching and doing things, the only fight worth undertaking is the fight for our children.

In the meantime, here is an article from US News about the effectiveness and impact of Teach For America teachers: Teach For America Makes the Grade at Challenged Schools, Criticism Aside.

Given Obama’s address last night, with education being one of his four main focuses, I think one particularly interesting paragraph in this article has to do with TFA’s funding. I found this little blurb both humorous and disheartening:

"Surprisingly, most of Teach For America's federal funding comes from outside the Department of Education's budget. This points to the organization's place as a crown jewel of national service efforts but also to the contempt for the organization within the education community. In January, for instance, based only on rumors that Wendy Kopp might be asked to join the Department of Education, the president of the national organization representing traditional teacher training institutions sent a letter to education lobbyists in Washington calling Kopp "unacceptable" for government service because she promotes a, "revolving door of under-qualified teachers as the best answer for poor children." The letter went on to imply that Teach For America did not serve the interest of students."

Let me just say this: ANY first-year teacher experiences hardships, regardless of their training. Trust me. I saw first-year teachers at my school who had been “traditionally trained” and they struggled just as much, if not more, than TFA teachers. Part of the reason for this is because Teach For America offers a huge network of support for their teachers throughout the year – which often matters a lot more than what classes you took in your undergrad days (especially when talking about teaching in urban schools). Also, TFA does train teachers, and all corps members have to meet the No Child Left Behind requirements for being “highly qualified”. Beyond that, Teach For America teachers really, truly care about their students, and invest in them a way many teachers do not. Lastly, at least Teach For America is doing something. And honestly, it’s a lot more than “just something”. The results are impressive and well-documented. Kids who most people believe can’t succeed are learning and achieving. They have someone who believes in them and pushes them and doesn't discount them because of an invisible price-tag stamped on them at birth. They are working to right an injustice and because of that, I will continue to support the organization and its mission as they (and we) work towards educational equality in this nation.