Dangerous Thinking: RESTRUCTURING INNER-CITY SCHOOLS FOR THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE

Reggie Dylan writes on 4LAKids:

Contributing an important element to this rush to privatization is Teach for America (TFA), a private, non-profit venture which for a number of years has been successfully recruiting graduates of Ivy League and other elite universities around the country for a two-year stint teaching in inner-city public and charter schools. A number of these students become inspired to pursue careers in teaching—but this is not TFA’s goal. Rather, TFA hopes after two years these young people will join the broadening base of experienced education managers, with the rest entering the professional world as informed supporters of these efforts. The KIPP Schools, based in San Francisco, were started by a pair of TFA graduates. And 250 TFA recruits are now in New Orleans, where—in the wake of the Katrina catastrophe—a massive experiment in charter school privatization is taking place.

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“Teaching is not something anyone can do.”

An educator on School Board Watch writes:

Before we could get there, we had endure the board approving the administration’s recommendation to accept two year teachers from the Teach For America program, which I am not entirely supportive of. My main reason is this (and I speak from experience): teaching is NOT easy. Teaching is not something anyone can do. I’m offended that we will accept people out of college and put them into classrooms with little to no training. But even more important than that, I know that as a person who loves, loves, loves her job…it took me years to get “good.” I feel pretty confident saying this for two reasons–one is that I did get good, and the other is that my dad, one of the best teachers I ever had in high school, confessed that it took him years to feel comfortable, also. My worry isn’t what Teach for America people will be able or unable to do in their two year commitment, but that just as they approach proficiency (I’m being generous…it took me more than two years to get there, and my dad, too), they are done. What a shame! I fully acknowledge that we need teachers in hard-to-fill positions…I fear losing them.

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True Grit

A Teach for America Member writes:

Without the shiny bow, Teach for America would not experience unprecedented levels of growth and funding. Remember, people with money always love a shiny bow. (Just look at the Yankees organization). At the end of the day, you can keep your shiny bow. I’ll never get down on two knees and polish my resume for the sake of making things look better. I’ll stand on my own two feet and let my life speak for itself. As a result of this, I may not achieve certain things or earn certain degrees of recognition. But as a result of my grit, you get to keep putting your shiny bow on projects to earn the accolades.

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