Reflection

A friend who is doing a piece on Wisconsin graduates in Teach for America asked me to respond to a few questions:

1. In your opinion, what is the greatest challenge our nation faces in terms of addressing the achievement gap?

I believe that the greatest challenge that our nation faces in terms of addressing the achievement gap is the lack of urgency that is placed on this issue. Of course there are several problems within each school district that need to be addressed: budget cuts, corruption, lack of parent involvement, etc. However, the fact that the average American is not aware that 14 year olds in the United States of America read at a 3rd grade level or cannot tell you which punctuation mark goes at the end of a sentence is alarming and even quite scary. And in many schools this is not just the exception, but instead the rule. How is it that this national crisis is going unnoticed?
Most times our country is known across the globe for our freedoms and progressive values, but the reality of the situation is that these freedoms and values only apply to a small portion of the American population. While we no longer have state-sponsored institutions like slavery and Jim Crowe laws, the effects of these institutions are being held in place by the lack of a quality education in our nation’s poorest neighborhoods. And unless this inequality is righted sooner than later and unless our nation’s children are given more educational opportunities than less, I can only see the United States plunging into further societal turmoil.


2. What motivated you to join TFA?

I was motivated to join Teach for America for several reasons. Primarily, it was a way in which I could gain a teaching certificate without having pursued education in my undergraduate career. Additionally, I wanted to give service to my country in some way. Due to the random chance of being born to middle class parents, I was fortunate to receive a quality education and live comfortably. I believed I owed it to others to at least attempt to give them the same opportunities that I have had. Lastly, I wanted to begin my life in the “real world” in an organization which would provide a strong supportive base and also provide me opportunities to grow professionally. I am satisfied in that Teach for American has provided this vital support throughout the year and also has allowed me to pursue my Masters of Arts in Teaching at American University.



3. What was the most challenging part of your first year in TFA?

The most challenging part of my first year in TFA was… my first year in TFA. I cannot single out one part of the year because the whole year in its entirety was the most challenging, frustrating and depressing undertaking that I have ever experienced. Despite the intense summer training, nothing can prepare you to have 70-minute classes with 30-40 students each. Despite juggling work, school and student organizations in college, nothing can prepare you for a working full time job, navigating a new city and finding time to take two graduate level courses all at the same time. Despite having traveled solo for weeks on three different continents thousands of miles from home, nothing can prepare you for the feelings of loneliness and despair you feel working with children who derive pleasure from making your life more difficult.

That said, I am a stronger and more effective teacher for having experienced these hardships. And in the scheme of things, the hardships that I experienced in the past year pale in comparison to those which my students have experienced and will experience in their lifetimes. I will return next year, and probably the next after that, because though I have a choice, my students do not. I will return because my students, and all students across the U.S., need teachers who will hold them to high standards and who will push them to achieve their greatest potential. I believe I can be this teacher.