This is the driving force behind Teach for America (TFA) and before I launched into stories of my own classroom, I wanted to speak to why exactly Brad and I are in Phoenix to begin with. Most know the story but maybe not details, so here it is:
I certainly never thought I would teach. A lot of my former teachers think I'm crazy - probably because they taught me. I went to college for Political Science, bent on traveling and working internationally (what exactly was still to be determined) But my travels abroad taught me something about my own country, something a lot of people don't want to think about or admit: vast education inequality still exists. Only half of low-income students will end up graduating high school by age 18. That's 50% who do not graduate in one of the most developed, advanced, powerful nations in the world. That disgusts me. Why should economic status determine the kind of education you get? Why should race or ethnicity? Just because your family cannot afford to live in the suburbs and attend the nice school doesn't mean your inner city education should be of lower quality. By the time low-income students are in 4th grade, they are already two or three years behind their peers. What kind of success is that setting them up for? None, and this is exactly the problem. There should not be an achievement gap in this great nation but there is. So I joined TFA to help close the gap. In my mind, I would be a hypocrite if I went to work in an underdeveloped country before I addressed the same issues in my own country, a place where they should not exist anymore.
So what exactly is TFA? Teach for America is a national corps of college graduates and professionals who commit to teach for two years in under-resourced urban and rural schools. The majority of the corps did not attend college for education and most have never had any experience with teaching previously (pretty much ME). Most join the movement because they recognize education inequity is a persisting problem in our country and want to work to eliminate it. Just over 46,000 people applied last year with 4,500 people selected to join. I was one of those, so Brad and I packed our bags for Phoenix. This region was one of our top choices as it provided job opportunities for Brad (unlike some of the other regions I would have liked such as Native American reservations or Southern Louisiana).
In order to teach, I was granted an intern teaching certificate on the premise I will work towards full certification over the next two years. For me, these certification classes are tied into a graduate program at Arizona State University so in May 2012, I will be a fully certified teacher with a Master's in Education. To clarify a lot of misconceptions: yes, I still have to pay for grad school and no, there is no loan forgiveness. Teach for America doesn't pay me anything - I am an employee of my school and they cut the paycheck so I earn what any other starting teacher does in the area.
So for the next two years (and possibly more), I will be working in my own classroom to teach my students to dream. That they can do absolutely anything they want in life - their socioeconomic status does not have to hold them back. They can and will be successful in school. It may seem crazy and impossible given the vast achievement gap in this country and all the students who need a good teacher, but if I can reach my own students - it will have mattered to them and that's more than when I started.
Easier said then done.
