This past Sunday my sister-in-law graduated from Syracuse University. After my big benefit dinner for work on Friday night (I got home around 1:15am), and then the last TFA Learning Team on Saturday, Josh and I made the 4.5-hour trek up to "upstate" New York. (For those of you not from NYC, "upstate NY" merely refers to anything north of New York City. And I should probably remind you that NYC is oh, pretty much as far south in the state of NY as you can get. In my opinion, Syracuse is actually about mid-state... but, as I am not a native New Yorker, my opinion in this won't matter much. However, I thought I'd clarify this tidbit for all you others out there who like your geographical knowledge a little more grounded in truth. Also, here's a map for your curiosity's convenience.)
Now, aside from the usual festivities of graduation weekend, there was one fairly sweet aspect of this graduation: Joe Biden gave the commencement address. Cool, no? Though it's hard to tell it's actually him, here's the picture I grabbed from up in the back-less bleachers. (The ceremony was 3.5 hours long, it took over an hour for the procession, and let me tell you -- that's a REALLY LONG TIME to sit in back-less bleachers! Also, this is why I need to get a new camera...)
He gave a pretty good address, which you can find the full transcript to here. For a school that's not exactly known for its commitment to social justice (must admit, when I think of Syracuse I usually first think of it as a really, really, really expensive school... a decent school, but mostly just ridiculously expensive), I appreciated him calling the students to action. He spoke of how even though this is a really tough time to enter the "real world", it's also a time filled with more opportunities to make a lasting impact than any other. He referred to it as an inflection point (think back to your physics class) -- an instance where you can truly change the direction or course of things. As he put it, "Throughout the span of history, only a handful of us have been alive at a time when we can actually -- not rhetorically -- actually shape the course of history." And I think that's true. And I think he inspired me a little bit more to believe in my generation. And he also reminded everyone to go buy flowers for their mom if they hadn't already. =)Aside from that, the student speaker gave a great address, and the "chaplain" made me SO GLAD I WENT TO A CHRISTIAN COLLEGE. Oh my goodness, the "Invocation" was a JOKE. If I can find it online somewhere, I'll post it. But, trust me, it was just ridiculous. He was going on and on about the energy around us and in all of us, and how we can grasp onto it and do anything we want to do, and how great we all are, and how we can make ourselves into even greater beings, and so on and so forth.... AND THEN HE SAID "AMEN" AT THE END. That offended me. If he had at even one point in there mentioned "God" (not even Jesus, just God), I could perhaps understand adding an "Amen" to the end. BUT HE DIDN'T. NOWHERE. It was truly absurd, and made me so grateful that I went to Wheaton where we could actually offer up a prayer of thanks and gratefulness for the provision and blessings we'd been given to get where we were, and that the "Amen" was actually part of a thought and prayer given to someone bigger and greater than ourselves. Just some thoughts.Aside from that, the main point of this is to say I got to be in the same room as Joe Biden. And as my kids would've said, that's just decent.P.S. Teach For America was mentioned three times as one of those great actually-change-things organizations. Apparently it's absolutely, positively, no-doubt-about-it the new coolest thing to do. Sweet.
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.
If you’re looking for a good excuse to go shopping, I've got it for you. If you've been thinking about buying something, but waiting for a good time to buy it, I've got that for you, too! Or, if you're just looking for a good deal that helps people, I've got that as well! I'm just a helpful person today, huh?
I got an email yesterday from one of my friends who works for Teach For America (the organization proper). Since I'm the Learning Team leader for lower elementary, I guess I'm "on the list" to receive certain updates. The email was telling about an opportunity to help Teach For America this weekend while getting some great discounts.
If you shop at Gap, Banana Republic, or Old Navy (all subsidiaries of Gap) March 12-15 you get 30% off as part of their Give & Get campaign. Plus, 5% of your total purchase will then be given back to Teach For America. Just print this coupon, present it at the checkout, and specify Teach For America as your chosen organization: http://www.gapgiveandget.com/np/tfa.html For more information, check out TFA's press release.
This is a pretty great deal at any point in time, but I think it’s really great that even after 30% off, they're then giving an additional 5% to Teach For America. As most of you probably know, Teach For America is the organization that I joined after graduating from college. It's a non-profit organization that is working to eliminate educational inequality in the US (and now abroad, through Teach For All). TFA recruits people they see as possessing leadership qualities – not necessarily those who have had experience teaching. As such, the alumni base is quite broad, with many people staying in teaching after completing their 2-year commitment, and many more (like me) staying involved with education and community development even if not directly through teaching. One of the reasons TFA teachers succeed as much as they do is because of the constant support and training TFA provides... and yes, that’s why this event and support is very much needed!
If you want to read more about TFA (beyond the links I've already included), here’s an article from US News about what it's "really like", and there is plenty of information on TFA's website. There’s also a ton out there if you just google it! I am a deep supporter of Teach For America and its mission, and I will readily testify that while it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, it has profoundly shaped me and influenced the direction of my life. And beyond all of that, it’s truly affecting students and schools across the nation. So, go get shopping and help change kids' lives! =)
