From an interview with Ira Socol at Open Education:
From your writings readers can clearly discern your strong opposition to the tenets of the Teach for America program. Can you highlight for our readers your thoughts on TFA?
Teach for America is a “colonial project.” It is a “missionary project.” It begins with the basic premise that the solution for the underclass in America is to make them ‘as much like’ rich white folks as possible. When you listen to the TFA leadership, they don’t really talk about “education,” probably because they don’t really believe in education. They talk about “leadership” instead. If they believed in education they would see education as important on the path to effective teaching, an idea they specifically reject, replacing it with the thought that since TFA corps members represent the elites (or, religiously, the “elect”), all they have to do is “lead” the downtrodden out of poverty.
This is essentially the British Colonial conversion concept. “We’ll fix Nigeria/Ireland/South Africa/India. We’ll just teach them to speak the Queen’s English, give them a Parliament, and make them wear powdered wigs in court. Then they’ll be civilized. And like the British Empire, this strategy is adopted because TFA’s board and supporters have no desire to ever relinquish power to a rising colonial population. If it’s all about “follow the leader,” the leader never changes.
3 responses so far ↓
Northerner // December 18, 2008 at 4:53 pm |
It begins with the basic premise that the solution for the underclass in America is to make them ‘as much like’ rich white folks as possible.
Yeah, we want to teach poor and disadvantaged kids how to read and do math, like the rich white kids already know how to do. How racist to think that poor kids could ever do that. Truly enlightened people know that poor kids are irremediable and hopeless.
Lisa G // December 18, 2008 at 5:37 pm |
I was reading a post from the Peace Corp which talked about Teach for America and which was not favorable. I have to see if I can find it.
I believe the premise was that TFA proposes to be ‘missionaries’ which takes away from true missionary work, as the TFA philosophy is actually very elitist in their attitudes towards those whom they serve.
Socol isn’t talking about teaching children to read and write.
He’s talking about the elitist attitude which TFA fosters by implying that poor, minority children should be lucky and grateful to have untrained, temporary teachers.
Joan B // February 9, 2009 at 1:03 am |
I’m really surprised after reading this and other text about TFA… I had read real “propaganda” about it, and although I dont care much about any “ONG” initiative [as I consider they avoid the solution of the problem and REJECT solving the initial problem that generates the "disadvantage" -educational, economic, whatever-], I thought it could be something interesting, as I knew NOTHING ELSE!
Thanks for your information and your opinions!
Joan B
Catalonia, Europe