The Observer, September 21, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 4
Teach for America gives students a way to put education to use
"I'm not going to reach each child every day, but I do go home and figure out how to get those that I could not reach today on the next day," said Ian Stormont. Stormont is a recruiter for Teach for America (TFA), a program involving thousands of corps members who teach in 25 rural and urban low-income regions around the nation.
According to data provided by Teach for America, fourth-graders in low-income areas are already three grade levels behind their counterparts in high-income communities. National Center for Poverty statistics indicate that half of those affected by the lack of effective and comparable educational resources do not graduate from high school, and many of those who do perform at the level of eighth-graders in math and literacy. This disparity in resources affects 13 million children in the U.S.
Viewing the ever-widening gap in education levels as a dire problem, 5000 recent college graduates are now working with TFA to relieve America's educational problem. Those who join the corps commit to carrying out a two-year term in one of the regions of their choice.
The idea of Teach for America was proposed by Princeton alumna Wendy Kopp in her senior thesis. In 1990, at the age of 21, she raised funds to start the organization, which first employed 500 college graduates to teach in six regions across the United States. In 17 years, the program has grown to include 17,000 corps members and alumni, including recent Case graduates who have been placed in Hawaii, the Mississippi Delta, New York, and Atlanta.
While Teach for America has grown in popularity, not all students who apply are accepted. TFA recruiters and campaign coordinators are sure to emphasize that the program is not competitive, but selective. Applicants are not competing against each other, but against the criteria.
"Teach for America simply wants teachers to meet a certain standard," said Becca Winarski, one of Case's campaign coordinators.
"Teach for America will accept all the qualified applicants it receives. Some areas, such as Phoenix, which only has 200 corps members, would take as many teachers as Teach for America could recruit. Additionally, within this next year, New Orleans will be depending on Teach for America to place corps members there, so they can open up their public schools. Without our teachers, students will be filling classrooms beyond capacity, due to the lack of teachers," said Stormont.
With a difficult task at hand, those who are chosen to participate in TFA meet the criteria of persisting despite adversity, exhibiting leadership skills, and showing respect for low-income communities. After reviewing the successes and failures of participants, TFA found that those who meet these criteria make great academic gains in the classroom.
Many may view the idea of teaching for two years in a challenging setting without even being equipped with an education degree as overwhelming. However, individuals from various backgrounds have begun to take interest in TFA and its goals. While 28 percent of corps members focused on the social sciences in their undergraduate institutions, 16 percent of TFA's corps members received undergraduate degrees in the sciences and engineering. This may surprise individuals who view the teaching corps as a way for liberal arts degree holders to figure out their career path or take a break before graduate school.
"I've always been very interested in social justice work and addressing disparities of education and health," states Mary Mariyamipillai, a Case senior studying biomedical engineering. "While Teach for America aligns with my interests, the experience would also foster my ability to connect with and reassure people by working with students. It would also help in my chosen vocation of medicine by enabling me to become a more compassionate and patient person."
To prepare those who never even gave a thought to education as a profession, Teach for America mandates that corps members participate in a five-week teaching institute.
"While the institute instructs corps members in teaching strategies and classroom management, the only thing which can really prepare an individual to teach is the classroom," notes Kinnari Chandriani, a current Case medical student and a 2005 corps member.
As science and engineering students, both Stormont and Chandriani saw the need of pursuing their prior goals while participating in Teach for America as corps members.
"Other disparities affect learning," notes Chandriani. "There are not enough great teachers, but there is also a lack of health care. Teach for America allowed me to see the bigger picture and to identify how I can effectively help with my background."
Some students feel delaying their career goals to teach for two years would be detrimental to their progress. Yet Teach for America has considerable connections with graduate programs to further their corps member's goals.
"Everyone should be aware of opportunities like Teach for America. The grassroots experience, which gives insight into today's social problems, is invaluable," said Stormont.
For Chandriani, transitioning from TFA to medical school was easy. "After Teach for America, nothing seems impossible."
