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Learning on Other People's Kids: Becoming a Teach For America Teacher
Book is also available @ Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Book Synopsis:
This work captures the voices of TFA novices who offer candid accounts of their experiences in becoming Teach For America Teachers. Previously unanswered questions are addressed: Why do intelligent college graduates apply to Teach For America? How are they recruited, trained, and hired? How do they learn the culture(s) of the community, schools, grade level, and curriculum? Is there a “culture” of the TFA organization? Do TFAers see themselves as effective teachers? What recommendations do corps members offer to TFA, its’ donors, policy-makers, future corps members and the public?
The book is divided into three parts. The first examines the process involved in “making” Teach For America’s team, why school districts hire Teach For America teachers, and how the author came to learn about Teach For America from corps members whose insider’s view over consecutive years, provides rich description through hundreds of exemplars. The second part presents the lived experiences of TFA recruits in schools, and how the organization socializes Teach For America teachers. The third section presents TFAers’ views on their corps teaching experience, analyzes the “master narrative” as it relates to the education of poor children, and raises questions for readers to contemplate.
“One morning in the second month of school a fifth-grade girl is outside my classroom crying with family members; her big brother was shot by the police a few hours before. I was just out of “Institute” and I had no bag of tricks. How did I know what to do?” (Donald) “Seven students (out of 28) speak limited English. Two students speak no English, two are resource (special education) students. Kids range in skill from K-6. Help!” (Cristina) “My students need experienced teachers who know what works and can implement it effectively. Instead, they have me, and though I am learning quickly, I am still learning on them, experimenting on them, working on their time.” (Marguerite) |
