NYTpg1: Top Graduates Line Up to Teach to the Poor (Teach for America)

[DeepModem Mom]

Options Open, Top Graduates Line Up to Teach to the Poor
By TAMAR LEWIN
Published: October 2, 2005


For a surprisingly large number of bright young people, Teach for America - which sends recent college graduates into poor rural and urban schools for two years for the same pay and benefits as other beginning teachers at those schools - has become the next step after graduation. It is the postcollege do-good program with buzz, drawing those who want to contribute to improving society while keeping their options open, building an ever-more impressive résumé and delaying long-term career decisions.

This year, Teach for America drew applications from 12 percent of Yale's graduates, 11 percent of Dartmouth's and 8 percent of Harvard's and Princeton's. The group also recruits for diversity, and this year got applications from 12 percent of the graduates of Spelman College, a historically black women's college in Atlanta.

All told, a record 17,350 recent college graduates applied to Teach for America this year. After a drop last year, applications were up nearly 30 percent. Teach for America accepted about a third of this year's Ivy League applicants, and about a sixth of all applications.

Teaching does not pay much. It is not glamorous. And the qualifications of most young people going into the field are less than impressive. A report by the National Council on Teacher Quality last year said that the profession attracts "a disproportionately high number of candidates from the lower end of the distribution of academic ability."

But then there is Teach for America, whose members typically have top academic credentials - the average G.P.A. is 3.5 - experience with children and determination to get results....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/02/education/02teach.html

[leetrisck]

1. Normally "less than impressive"

If this is true (which I doubt), I can only assume these "top caliber" people can't get jobs anywhere else. Not sure what I think of this article but I sure as hell know a lot of "very impressive" teachers that did not come from the colleges mentioned.

[DeepModem Mom]

2. I agree. I have found, anecdotally from my own experience...

knowing several kids in this program, these things to be true about them:

Teach for America officials see their recruiting success as a sign of the post-9/11 generation's commitment to public service, and to improving the quality of education for low-income children...."I don't think very many of my peers know what they want to do," said Nathan Francis, who graduated from Yale last spring, was accepted to Teach for America, but declined the offer because he was unsure that he could be a good teacher for disadvantaged students after nothing more than the group's summer training. "A lot of people who just graduated are looking for things to do, so it seems very appealing to have something to do that's worthwhile and short term and gives you two more years to think about your career."

[ProudToBeLiberal]

3. I would strongly have to disagree

As a college student thinking about doing teach for america, I see it as more of a duty. I see Teach For America as Americorps. You are obligated to do civil duty and service I think. Also many people who are middle and upper class don't have first hand experience in the slums, they are ignorant and privledge. Going to teach into the ghettos will be an eye opener and a humbling experience.

[jwirr]

8. Is the government grant program for needy students

who want to teach in depressed area still in effect? When poor students who were studying to be teachers from my college went to areas like the Indian Reservations, inner cities, etc. They were forgiven loans for each year they teach in that area. There were also doctors, dentists and pharmacists who were using that program to pay for their schooling.

[donsu]

4. this is great - tutoring will and should have a Renaissance

america's public school students need all the help they can get.

[nvliberal]

9. No, it isn't, not when you think about this.

There are thousands and thousands of unemployed teachers in this country, and what does our government encourage? Unqualified "teachers" to come in and take jobs away from those who are qualified.

Remember, many of these "teachers" will quit after a couple of years, which to districts is a boon in saving on pension costs, and, in states which do NOT pay into Social Security, a bundle that way.

What we really need are policies which do NOT make it so difficult for qualified teachers to move from state to state and lose their pensions (in other words, pension portability), nor should they have to go back and take these goddamned worthless tests when they move to another state or go through a bunch of other hoops.

There is NO true shortage of teachers in this country; what there is is a maldistribution problem with gluts of teachers in many regions of the country, and shortages in other regions. Specialties such as science, math, and special ed where there are allegedly shortages can be easily solved if states and districts hire REAL teachers and put them in programs to get them certified in those fields.

"Stupid" people do not go into education, as the article implies in its bragging up the unqualified to come in and help screw over the poor even more. We should be looking at employing all certified teachers who need jobs.

[dsc]

12. Not necessarily

I am a teacher who moved from an area of glut to one of shortage. Not everyone wishes to move up to a thousand miles to change jobs. I do agree that short term programs like this aren't a great solution and pension portability would be a great thing, but even then people would have family and other considerations. NC will have a shortage of teachers for quite some time to come. NC could, and should, be more lenient about out of state teaches but they aren't that bad.

[donco6]

15. I would disagree about the shortage.

The hardest teachers to find are bilingual special education. We beat the bushes to find them here in Colorado. I seriously doubt they're just sitting around in some other state because of a lack of reciprocity.

[SoCalDem]

16. Grads of ivy league schools looking to "pad" their resumes

could easily be kids of the upper crusties..kids who can "afford" to work for peanuts, since they have the ole trust funds tied to their asses like so much Charmin tissue..ready to cushion any falls..

It's entirely possible that these "kids" are being altruistic, but they could also be playing out some "reality" thing for themselves before they have to report to Daddy's law firm/corporation for their 'real' job..


Lots of my peers joined Vista and the peace Corps..not so much for what it would do for others...as what it could do for themselves.. adventure, travel, experience, etc,.

most did fall in love with their choice, and ended up doing good and for the right reason..but they went into it for entirely other reasons.


This group of republicans we have in office value 'volunteerism"..not because it's the right thing to do...but because if they can get you to do stuff for free, it saves them a ton of loot :(

[northzax]

17. sorry, but you are misinformed

there is a shortage, whether or not you buy it. the District of Columbia, my home, for instance, cannot fill it's classrooms with people qualified to teach students. And by qualified, I mean people with BAs and no criminal record. That's what it takes to teach in DC. Seriously, if you walk into the school offices at 940 N. Capitol Street, Ste, 600, tomorrow morning, and present a diploma from an accredited University, you can get a waiver to teach for three years, while you meet the certification requirements. you will be in an elementary school classroom, currently taught by an aide, by one week from the day you walk in. I hold a certification, and I could call the offices tomorrow morning, and be at a school on Tuesday morning. I could do this is 30-40 districts around the country. even without a certification, I could be in a classroom in a week, the amount of time it takes to clear a background check. And you claim there's no shortage? what a joke.

you have a point about pension portability, but that's a problem for a lot of people.

Personally, I am offended by your comment about REAL teachers. you really think there are a surfeit of teachers who can't get jobs out there? please. I come from a long line of teachers, five generations to be precise, and count many among my friends and family, none of them are looking for work, in fact any of them could get a job almost anywhere they wanted. I bet I could walk into your city or town and have a job, if I wanted one. And yes, I paid for my own certification training.

do you think there is a mob of people out there with degrees in math and science begging to be abused, overworked and underpaid? really? last year I made more as a temp, working the front desk at various associations, than I ever made as a teacher.

If you have a college degree, you can become a public school teacher, that is a simple fact. and the average new teacher, in an inner city school, lasts just over a year. The average TFA teacher last 2.3 years. not bad, right?

and yes, there are stupid people who go into education, just as there are stupid people who go into investment banking, doesn't mean they last long, but they do exist. maybe not in your suburb, but they do exist.

[northzax]

18. one more thing.

there are programs to being new people and other teachers into underresourced areas, check out the New York City Teaching Fellows program, also The New Teacher Project (a TFE spinoff)

[Godhumor]

5. We have 5 TFA teachers in my current school

Overall, they have done a fantastic job. All of them are enthusiastic, haven not been drained by years of teaching, and make themselves available after school to anyone who needs help. The only problem I have is that only 2 of the 5 are planning to stay on past their second year.

I do take offense at the article implying that teachers are low performers. I was pretty certain that the whole "Those who can't...teach." belief was thrown out awhile ago. As always, when I hear something like this, I just like to point out that teaching as a profession has the highest number of employees with 6+ year degrees.

[applegrove]

6. Sounds like a great idea. Kids need just a few enthusiastic teachers

in their lives to learn to love learning. If these kids have the energy to devote extra time... great!

[northzax]

7. I'm a TFA alumnus

(City of Compton, 1997) while I had my issues with the organization as a whole, and with some of the recruits, I think the Peace Corps model is working well. I'm amazed at the numbers of people going in (it's over double the number my year) And yes, some of them aren't all that good at teaching. They're new, it happens. But most work their asses off (anyone else have a first job out of school paying 25 grand where they worked 16 hour days six days a week?

there are two truths to be recognized by people critical of the idea:

one, TFAers aren't taking jobs from other teachers, there are not enough teachers anywhere TFA works to fill the spots.
two: for the most part, these are not kids who need to find a job and are having trouble doing that. Even 8 years ago, when TFA was less popular, the majority of the people interested in the program had other options. The people I lived with, and taught with, went on to advanced degrees, both in education and others, and, if they've left teaching, like myself, have remained successful. We're talking about ambitious, very bright people, with the keys to the kingdom in their hands, who choose to delay it a bit, not people struggling to find a job out of school.

[nvliberal]

10. They ARE taking jobs away,

see my post above about the alleged "shortage" of teachers.

[ProudToBeLiberal]

13. but

you're ignoring a fact that most teachers prefer to teach in districts where there are abundant resources at the teachers disposal. Unfortunately in the ghettos and slums resources are a rarity. You don't see most teachers begging to be transfered to an inner city school or a teacher begging to be sent to a reservation school. This is where the TFAers come in to do the dirty work.

[sakabatou]

11. My brother is doing this

But he's having a terrible time.

[dsc]

14. I was in a similar program

we weren't from the colleges that TFA are from, but the preparation was way better. We took an entire MA while teaching.