Though some TFA corps members ultimately succeed and find the experience valuable, some corps members are unprepared and ill-trained for the challenges they face as a teacher. Like Kaplowitz, Sarit Platkin joined Teach for America hoping to make a difference, but says she soon found herself at a New York City school without any real guidance.
Platkin experienced problems similar to the ones Kaplowitz faced, and like her fellow corps members, she got little support from administrators. Requests for mentoring were denied, she says, and administrators often admonished her in front of her classroom.
By the end of her first semester, her school administration put pressure on her to resign, she says. Platkin could have contested, but she chose not to because she assumed TFA would not support her.
Teach for America, for its part, was unsupportive, she says. Because Teach for America strives to recruit the best and brightest from universities across the country, it pays particular attention to students who hold leadership roles at their schools. Many of the corps members are overachievers who have rarely failed throughout their lives.
According to Baideme, her Type A personality was her downfall. Waking up at 5 a. She would usually go to bed around 1 or 2 a. The beginning of your story could have been my own — I, too, was accepted into the corps January notification, in fact and was thrilled, as TFA was my first choice for post-grad employment. I was all geared up to return this summer, until I started spending a considerable time at my old high school, trying to observe my favorite teachers and prepare myself as best I could.
To my shock, these excellent, veteran educators that had inspired my own interest in teaching hated TFA. My uneasiness only increased when I was given an interview with KIPP, and despite voicing all of my concerns about charter schools, asking about attrition rates, unfair disciplinary procedures, etc.
This in a district where over public school teachers had just been laid off and zero-based hiring instituted — since when was TFA placing teachers in a high-paying charter that supposedly received hundreds of applications for each position? Was this what I had signed up for? Yes, I should have done my research, but the competitiveness of the application process, perceived prestige of the program, and seemingly dismal economy left little room for suspicion or caution in my panicked second-semester senior brain.
Looking at the big picture, TFA as an organization is doing some pretty scary stuff and I understand wanting to cut the cord.
Thanks again to you and everyone else who has shared their experiences, and to Gary for keeping this blog and helping me make the right decision. Going through this right now in a different volunteer organization, but similar in its mission. Thinking about putting in my two weeks in the next few days. Thanks, Jenna! Hi Jenna.
Currently a cm on a growth plan. Switched from 8th grade to first grade at the last minute. I am Incredibly burned out and placed in the city I was born and raised in. I know depending on the state, the consequences of leaving TFA may differ. Do CMs that quit have to pay anything as a result of breaking the contract?
I feel so trapped and do not want to break committments. My plan B in case my superiors see little improvement in my teaching is to resign in the coming months and apply for jobs I was offered prior to TFA. If that email you put with this post is accurate, I will email you with advice of how you can avoid paying it. Hi there.
Aurora here. As life would have it Gary, in the past week, I was in a car accident that exacerbated preexisting health issues-mainly physical. The car accident was a sign that my body no longer had the stamina to keep teaching. I have put in my resignation citing those reasons. Prior to this, I asked my CMA if there is a financial consequence and she said no.
Please email with advice nevertheless just in case. Do you have any advice on what to expect? Will I still get the first half of my AmeriCorps grant since I would complete one year? Hi Jenna, thanks for sharing your story.
I am a CM and will likely break my contract after I finish out this school year. Our All Corps Conferences are completely useless and none of the training that I was provided with has prepared me for the chaos I have experienced this year in the classroom. My administration is in shambles, the principal and vice principal were both just removed for embezzling money from a grant that our school will no longer receive due to their crimes. Our school also has no curriculum, so we write all the tests and have been building the curriculum from the ground up.
My biggest issue is behavior management. My classroom has derailed into utter chaos and I just feel so bad for the students who really value their education but are having it ruined because I literally cannot teach when I am constantly having to deal with behavior issues. My choice to do TFA has not been a positive one. It has deteriorated my personal relationships, my mental health, and my overall happiness.
I have decided to break my commitment after this school year. I agree with you Jenna that if CMs break their contracts then it really reveals a bigger problem. If it was anywhere near a decent program then the CM drop rate would be non existent.
TFA is a highly flawed program and I wish I had done more digging before getting myself into this mess. Any advice on what I can expect when I do break the contract? You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account.
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June 2, at am. Kellen says:. Or did you assume they would fail after your first day? You have to take the initiative upon yourself. No one is going to give you the answers. The reality is that most of the schools in which TFA operates have experienced extreme personnel shortages in the past — most of my kids were taught by long term substitutes.
Your post description is vastly inaccurate based on my personal experience with the Detroit Corps, but perhaps what you describe is still the case in a handful of more remote regions.
Jasherwilliamson makes a very good point. I have a sister who teachers in Seattle and a brother who completed two years of TFA in Detriot and is now working in the administration. This is similar to many other young TFA alumni entering the Seattle school districts.
Moreover, regardless of if there is proof that TFA steals jobs, they do not train college graduates enough to be adequate teachers. There is data that shows teachers with 5 years of training perform better than teachers with 4 years of training. Many of the regions in which TFA operates have both teacher surplus and a job surplus. This exists because many traditional teachers choose to avoid jobs in these cities as they are less than ideal to say the least.
Furthermore, cms and traditional teachers have to compete for jobs in the same pool and make their case to principals. Principals are going to make the decision that they believe is best based on the facts as they see them. There is no conspiracy or hidden contracts.
In short, cms in classrooms do not automatically equal traditional teachers without jobs. Additionally, the fact that cms are equally as effective as other new teachers poses an interesting question regarding how well we are preparing teachers at our universities. From an empirical perspective, it is hypocritical to attack cms and not new tradtional teachers considering that they have similar-to-same effectiveness and drop out rates.
I have been in the classroom as a volunteer, lead teacher of pre-k, para-professional in high school and have over experience hours for school. But I also am a single mother of a two year old and for the last 3 years have been going to school full time and working part time jobs. I hope this counts as a horror story: My first year I was in a class where I was having a lot of trouble. We had a teaching assistant who was supposed to be helping us, providing the odd bit of one on one tutoring, and answering our questions.
She was woefully inadequate at this. Not once did she stay with me long enough to fully answer my questions in class, and instead of seeing me alone for 15 minutes after class she would send out a group email inviting 20 other students to be there.
Due to this lack of help I pretty much flunked the class and this could have been remedied with 20 minutes of tutoring now and again. She went into Teach for America in pad her grad school application. To work with children who have the same learning problems I do. Then she wanted to go to grad school. To work with children with learning disabilities. Near the end of the semester I let her have it and she had a hissy fit. At Teach For America, we know lasting change can happen: All children will get the excellent education they deserve.
What happens if I confirm my offer and change my mind? Popular questions What should I do if I don't remember my teachforamerica. I'm applying for a staff position and I'm locked out of my jobs. How can I reset my password? What is Teach For America looking for in its corps members?
What kind of salary and benefits do corps members receive? Am I eligible to apply to the corps?
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